2016 CORE Choice

The Choice is CORE’s nod towards the wakestyle masses – it is a more aggressive evolution of the Fusion 2 and can be ridden with boots or straps and with or without fins, making it a true park crossover board. There are also two fin options, with 42mm and 28mm fin sets available, and a grab handle. So something for everyone.

Graphics wise the CORE yellow is present then the rest of the board has a nice clean, modern, ‘techno’ vibe to it – we liked it. Construction does, of course, make good use of CORE’s signature Cartan carbon. This is laid up over a Paulownia core, with two channels running the length of the board and an additional four ‘mini channels’ providing additional grip at the tips giving you the option to ride without fins if you so choose.

The Diamond 3D shape helps to distribute the load at the front and back of the board and the inserts have additional reinforcement to keep the board bombproof even when booted up. There are nine different stance options and three different pad insert options should you wish to adjust, so plenty of room for experimentation.

On the water and you instantly feel at home on the Choice. It just accelerates into life in an instant and the stiffness and rigidity of the carbon really gets you flying along, with the flex available when it’s needed. There is bundles of grip, accentuated massively by the mini channels at either end, which gives you the confidence to just let rip with no holding back. When it comes to throwing down some wakestyle moves, you can load up with confidence and the Choice really explodes when you release, maintaining stability even at warp speed.

If you are just boosting some old school freestyle, then the Choice is keen for this and the exceptionally light weight of the board is obviously a real plus in this department and a key consideration if this is your default style.

For a relatively ‘all round’ board with plenty of performance when you need it, and a range of ride options, this is certainly a good ‘Choice’.