For over 20 years, CORE have been an integral part of the kiteboarding industry. They’ve just entered the wingfoil market and the kit looks insane. We catch up with the brand to find out all about their move to the sport.

For over 20 years, CORE has been an integral part of the kiteboarding industry. They’ve just entered the wingfoil market and the kit looks insane. We caught up with the brand to find out all about their move to the sport.

A big welcome must go out to CORE, joining the sport of wingfoiling. It’s super exciting to have another big player in the kiteboarding industry make the move. Before we get into why, can you tell our readers a bit about the origins of the brand?

It all started in a garage on Fehmarn with a custom board production in 2001, when kiteboards were still a novelty. That specific board was called the CARVED Imperator. As one of the world’s first kiteboard manufacturers, we handcrafted twintip masterpieces on the island Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea. We strived for the highest quality materials and most innovative board-building processes. The success of CARVED led to the birth of another global brand - CORE Kiteboarding. From 2007 until today we've built premium kites, bars, and boards. Based at one of Europe's watersport hotspots we find perfect conditions to test and develop gear right at our doorstep, before our products are put through their final test in the hands of the international pro team at the most demanding spots in the world. A variety of exclusive materials and elaborate production processes ensure a special riding experience that is exclusive to CORE Riders. With 50 employees in Fehmarn, we supply 90 markets worldwide with a network of more than 700 dealers and kite schools.

So you’ve clearly been very successful in kiteboarding, spanning 20 years! What led you to add wingfoiling to your repertoire?

When the first wingfoiling gear came out just a few years ago, it didn’t take long until our team was infected and many of us suddenly had an additional watersport passion. Even though we considered ourselves a kitesurfing-focused brand for quite a while, we felt that we cannot suppress this passion of our team and simply let them work on what they love to do. We took our time though for extensive concepts and considerations around this very young market, same as we invested a lot of time in the development of prototypes to create a wingfoil range that matches the same high demands we have with our kitesurfing products.  

The photos of the new gear look awesome, we can’t wait to get our hands on it! We’ve seen big waves, freestyle & cruising. Are the XC wing, Roamer wingboard & Spectrum foils designed to be all-rounders?

They definitely are. The goal was not only to develop the perfect allrounder but also to have a range of wings, boards, and foils that is perfectly intertwined with each other. Even though it’s still such a young market, the complexity in terms of different available products is huge. To find your perfect constellation of products is what we found one of the most difficult tasks, especially for those who are new to the sport. We wanted to provide a range to our customers that deliver an experience where you feel instantly comfortable with your setup. 

The XC comes with a balanced handling and easy-to-recall performance. The linear power delivery ensures an easy water start and a comfortable ride. Thanks to the medium to high sweep, the wing reaches a high terminal velocity and becomes exceedingly agile. The combination with the fixed handles allows the highest precision in radical manoeuvers.

For the board and foil, fine-tuning between those two is key for a comfortable stance and harmonized riding experience. The Roamer wingboard line is designed to meet all the challenges of modern wingfoiling with its instant forward drive and stable feel. Sporty and responsive, yet also minimizing the early complexities of learning to ride, the carefully tuned shape ensures the easiest handling whatever the weather or water surface.

The Spectrum on the other hand provides perfect lift with balance and control, supporting you to push your abilities every session. Whether you want to ride in chop, waves, or flat water, the predictable behavior, even in the most difficult conditions or turbulent sections, ensures you'll be soaring the playground further, faster, and for longer.

Could you go into a little detail about both the ExoTex 2 & CoreTex 2 materials used in the XC Wing?

The CoreTex 2 and ExoTex 2 materials have both been exclusively developed for CORE in Japan and Taiwan under the highest industry standards and were already introduced in our latest kites. 

CoreTex 2, our canopy cloth, is not only lighter than its predecessor but also comes with massively improved stiffness and durability. It sets our standard in breaking strength, tear resistance, longevity, UV protection, and elongation. ExoTex 2 is a considered and progressive evolution of polyester weaves through both the warp and weft. Through every inch of our air frame you’ll find the use of ultra-strong yarns, and the entire structure is stiffer, more tightly woven than its predecessor, and then finally treated with a unique heating and shrinking process. 

The reactive relationship between stiffness and flex is forged from the ExoTex 2 material in the leading edge and centre strut. The low-stretch and highly durable CoreTex 2 cloth help ensure the XC delivers liquid-smooth and linear power development. Optimal cloth tension and minimal drag help generate maximum power for a quick take-off and then offers precise control in flight.

The Spectrum foils are a medium aspect ratio design, there must’ve been a lot of thought put into this, what was the reason to choose a medium aspect ratio?

As mentioned before, we strived for that instant feeling of comfort when riding our product. Not in a “coziness” kind of way, but to deliver the confidence of perfect control in every situation – regardless of taking your first flights or shooting down One Eye in Mauritius. With that in mind, we developed a range from the big 2150 down to the smallest 950 which all deliver that certainty when flying it. And that comes from the medium to hight aspect-ratio which delivers the ideal balance of performance and control, resulting in a beautifully fluid feeling. As each size of wing in the Spectrum range narrows in thickness slightly differently from middle to tip, the angle-of-attack then turns negative towards the end of the tip; a proven technique in aviation to reduce drag and improve speed. Constructed with a multi-layer carbon laminate, the wings are not only lightweight but also extremely durable.

In terms of materials & manufacture, what has CORE carried over from kiting when producing the XC wing and Roamer board? 

Developing kites for more than 15 years, we gained extensive knowledge in the usage and processing of the highest-performing fabrics. That allowed us to put an immediate focus on shape and flight characteristics, since the major part of the production workflow was already well-tuned. The same holds true for our proven features like our speed valves and speed pump hoses which could be adapted straight away. 

For the Roamer, we could draw on the knowledge we gained from the recently published SLC kitefoil board. You can really compare wing and surfboards, since they come with different demands for their rigidity, but the experience and trusted partnerships we established with our foilboard production eased the process for the Roamer as well. 

Eventually the most important though is having a fast prototyping process. Turning ideas into rideable concepts is a key aspect of the development process. The faster you are, the more knowledge you can gain. 

Which of your team riders should our readers be looking out for when it comes to winging?

Working with some of the world’s best kitesurfers doesn’t mean they immediately wingfoil on the same level. We were lucky though that some of our team members have been infected even earlier than we have been and entered the wingfoil world right at the start. Known for his wave-riding skills, Willow River Tonkin is outstanding when it comes to foiling big swells. Alina Kornelli has a nice style and is always going for new maneuvers. Thomas Burblies is pushing when it comes to big airs. And since our lineup is still quite fresh, we can’t wait for the new talents who will arise soon. 

Finally, you’re based on the island of Fehmarn in Germany. It sounds like a great place to put the gear to the test. What are the conditions like?

Fehmarn has been a very popular spot for windsurfers, kitesurfers and wingsurfers from all over Central Europe since the first windsurf hype back in the days. As an island, it catches any wind direction and has a wide range of different spots to offer - from shallow areas for beginners, dreamy flat water, to nicely breaking wind waves. During spring and fall you have very good wind yield that can get very strong, but you can score nice summer sessions as well. Located in the Baltic Sea you don’t have to deal with tides and the water is not as salty as elsewhere. Fehmarn is connected with the mainland via a bridge and is easy to reach by car and train. If you haven’t been there, it’s definitely a spot for the bucket list! 

Thanks, CORE. We can’t wait to get our hands on the kit, and one day visit Fehmarn!

Videos

XC - FULL BLOWN FREEDOM
SPECTRUM - AT EASE IN THE SEAS
ROAMER - STEP ON FREEDOM
By Jack Galloway

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