Hello beautiful people! So stoked you made it to this page of my website. We’re going to have some fun today. This article is all about my seven secrets for learning kiteboarding. Now, if you prefer to watch (or listen while you do busywork around your house) click to watch my 7 Secrets of Learning Kiteboarding video on our Youtube channel.Your Coach Today: Laurel Eastman You’re in good hands … [Read more...]
About Laurel Eastman
Travel Guide & Trip Report: Snowkiting Skyline Utah
Looking for a great winter adventure? How about trying to snowkite in Utah at Skyline? It’s one of Laurel’s favorite destinations in the world! What makes snowkiting Skyline Utah so special? Glad you asked! Read below and watch Laurel's Snowkiting 101 video on our YouTube Channel.The Mountain The terrain to snowkite Utah’s Skyline Drive is accessible for all levels. It starts with a wide-open … [Read more...]
Overcome Kiteboarding Difficulties | Learn from Mistakes | You’re on a Hero’s Journey
In this article you'll learn how to overcome kiteboarding difficulties, shake off bad luck, learn from problems caused by your own poor judgement, and most importantly realize that YOU (yes you) are on a Hero's Journey.My name is Laurel Eastman, I’m a professional kiteboarder (learned in 1999), successful business woman (founded my kiteboarding school in Cabarete, DR in 2003), and I'm the … [Read more...]
Upcycled Sails Arrives at LEK
The new product from Mariposa DR Foundation’s brand Upcycled Sails are now available to buy here at LEK! Laurel helped launch this project in 2016 and it’s great to see the results. It's been a great journey, and now this fun product is coming to market.What is Upcycling Take something old and unusable. Repurpose it into something fabulous. Almost a form of recycling, but in recycling … [Read more...]
Top 7 Ways To Be Awesome (and Safe) During Your Kiteboard Launch & Landing
The great thing about the kiteboarding community is our openness, helpfulness and willingness to share ourselves with each other. We all want to be awesome, kind and safe - in the practice of our sport and in life. Here are my best tips to start and end each session with positivity and consideration. Follow these simple actions and your kiteboard launch will be smooth and safe.1. Rig … [Read more...]
MaiTai Cabarete and MaiTai Freestyle Invitational
July is my favorite summer month in Cabarete. The strong steady winds bring great fun on the water and amazing people to hang with off the water. In additional to the collection of "usual suspects" who come to ride and play with us, for the past few years we’ve been lucky enough to help co-host the legendary MaiTai event right here at LEK.MaiTai - Kiteboarding Community The MaiTai community … [Read more...]
Travel Guide – Kitesurfing in Waves on the Wild West Coast of Baja California, Mexico
Kitesurfing in waves has a huge appeal to proficient kiteboarders. It’s a natural progression from basic free riding. For a few years we’ve been hearing about a remote wild spot in central Baja California. This spring we finally experienced it for ourselves, thanks to Megan and Ian from Exotkite Kiteboarding School and their spring wave camps in Baja California. We had one week of getting oriented … [Read more...]
Learn How To Jump While Kiteboarding
The beauty of kiteboarding is that you’re never done improving. There is always something you’ll be working on and improving. In the beginning it’s kite control, standing up on the board, riding, and traveling up-wind. As you progress it becomes more about carving transitions and then, very quickly, jumping. This article is all about teaching you to learn how to jump while kiteboarding. The sky's … [Read more...]
Upcycled Sails – Giving Back at Mariposa
“Just Say Yes!” This life motto has steered me into some pretty awesome (and sometimes super challenging) situations. However, to continue the cliches, “when opportunity knocks”, I do love to open the door, and living in the developing world for the last 14 years has provided me with TONS of opportunities to get involved in giving back and making the world a better place. In 2016, I’m focusing my … [Read more...]
Master of the Ocean 2016 Expression Session at Millennium
The Master of the Ocean is one of the coolest watersports competitions in the world. We’re so proud that it’s a home-grown Cabarete event! It’s a multi-sport contest showcasing the hottest water sports we all love. It has surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing and our favorite KITEBOARDING!This year we had the awesome opportunity of hosting the Master of the Ocean competition. A very … [Read more...]