I’m on it: CORE Era

DIMENSIONS: 136X40.5CM // RIDER WEIGHT:  73kg // RIDER HEIGHT: 181cm

If you love freeriding and seek a board that promises fun without complication, the CORE Era could be for you. It’s designed for all levels including beginners as it is quite forgiving and easy to control, especially in different water conditions.

I really enjoy how the Era feels when I ride it. It’s light and easy to move around, which makes it super fun to use. At the same time, the Era offers a fantastic glide even in choppy conditions and goes upwind easily. The size of the board fits perfectly with my height and weight, giving me a great balance between stability and agility on the water.

My usual go-to is my CORE Carved Imperator, because it’s customized for my riding style and it fits me perfectly. The Imperator is great for my competitive riding, especially in Big Air competitions. Compared to the Imperator, the Era is more focused on freeriding and easy riding. It offers a different kind of fun on the water, with a focus on ease and enjoyment rather than extreme performance.

The Era is created in a way that’s better for our planet. It is made with a special type of resin called GreenPoxy 33, which includes 35% materials from plants and vegetables. This helps by reducing the use of petroleum. CORE started using this greener resin in 2023 after trying it out on different boards for many years and found it very effective. Even though it costs more, CORE is striving to improve their product development in a way that is better for our planet.

Inside, the board has a core made from Paulownia wood, surrounded by a special basalt fabric. This fabric is made from natural volcanic rock. The production of basalt uses less energy and releases less carbon compared to glass and carbon fibers. A great feature of this material is that it provides excellent cushioning and explosive bounce potential. This means the board gives you a smooth ride and good jumping ability.

The bottom of the board has channels, including a bigger center keel, that makes it glide smoothly on the water and go easily in the direction you want. It’s like the water flows in the best possible directions underneath the board, making your ride smoother and helping you move forward without much effort.

Looking at the rocker, the middle part of the board bends a bit more than at the ends. This shape helps the board move fast and stay on top of the water to avoid splashes. It’s designed to make your ride as smooth as possible. The Era’s rounder shape makes the ride smooth and steady, giving you excellent control when making sliding turns and jibes.

In short, the Era is made to be fun and easy to use, while also being better for the environment, because of the smart materials and design choices used.

Over the last few months, I’ve had the chance to take the Era board out for some rides in Brazil and here in Tarifa, where I live. In Brazil, the weather was just right for testing the board, especially for freeriding. The warm water and steady wind really let me see how well the board performs. Now, since the Era has been officially released, I’m spending a lot of time with it here in Tarifa. It’s fantastic for freeriding and feels very playful. On days when the wind is lighter, I find myself having a great time using this board and playing around with it.

I’m going to keep enjoying the Era for fun and easy riding sessions. Since my competition focus is on Big Air, I’ll be using the Imperator for those, because it’s designed specifically for my competitive riding style. However, for all-around performance in Big Air, the Choice and Fusion models are also excellent options. The Era will be my go-to for fun, relaxed kite sessions.