Kitesurfing Expert Shows Commitment to Making Kitesurfing Safe and Accessible with 10,000-Book Giveaway

Kitesurfing expert Shawn Tieskotter recently released his book How to Kitesurf on Amazon.com - and he's giving away 10,000 digital copies in order to further his favorite sport. The book is intended not just to teach people to kitesurf but also to teach them how to be safe while doing it. How to Kitesurf will be distributed on BN.com and in the iBook format in the future.

"I consider it my responsibility to the kitesurfing community," said Tieskotter upon the book's release. "Kitesurfing is actually a very safe sport, yet there are still too many injuries every year. Most of these injuries would be completely avoidable if new kitesurfers were just a little better educated."

Aside from teaching kitesurfers how to avoid preventable injuries, Tieskotter's book also teaches enthusiasts how to deal with conditions beyond their control. These incidents include "Poltergusts" (a frighteningly strong or chaotic gust of wind) and Kitemares (any nightmare of a situation, such as losing control during a strong whipping wind, as may happen while kitesurfing).

Kitesurfing - often considered an "extreme sport" - has been growing massively in popularity in the 21st century. In fact, the sport was a serious contender to replace windsurfing in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Despite having such influential advocates as billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile, and Virgin Airways), kiting could not quite edge out the favorite of the Royal Yachting Association.