Tkb Review: 2019 CORE Choice 3

CORE Choice 3
Sizes Available: 133 x 40cm, 135 x 41cm, 137 x 41.5cm, 139 x 42cm, 141 x42.5cm, 144 x 43.5cm, 147 x 45cm
Sizes Tested: 137 x 41.5cm, 141 x42.5cm

Core Says:

Fun or maybe, you’re new to freestyle. And you’re not sure whether being locked into boots is your thing right now. So, you’d rather hedge your bets and ride a board that’s just as much fun in straps as in boots. We made the Choice 3 for you too. Its new full-length deep Vee hull smoothes out nasty chop. And together with its optimized outline and mega channels, this comfortable allrounder rips upwind with reduced spray.

The Gen3 springs into action with the same proven CNC milled Paulownia and Cartan carbon sandwich construction used in the prior model and its adamantine cousin, the Bolt 3. Only now, the board is around 200g lighter without reducing its carbon or wood content! Our build method delivers outstanding flex properties; encouraging good freeride flex when gybing, controlling chop; and reducing bad flex (aka negative rocker) when landing hard or freestyling.  But wait, there’s more! The Choice 3 also gets deeper channels that reduce the wetted surface area (and by extension, water resistance) thereby increasing board speed. We finished the board with a shiny, UV blocking topcoat. Whew! That’s a lot of new stuff!

Visit for more info: www.corekites.com/us/boards/twintips/choice-3

Our Testers Say:

“The Choice is a lightweight and smooth handling twin tip. The stiffer flex pattern gives less board feel.” // Joe Chehock

“Very light, nice amount of rocker, tracks nice with channel, grippy straps, sharp rails slice through the water. Rocker gives skatey feel that takes adjustment. Very versatile.” // Dylan Dobbyn

“Clean looking, bigger board, great jumper and good chop handling.” // Marko Bartscherer

Meet Our Testers

Tkb Says:

Of the two Core boards we tested, the Choice is the shape with carbon construction and handling that is best suited for the more aggressive kiter looking for more high performance from their equipment. The first thing we noticed about the Choice is its stiffer flex profile and increased rocker which lends to a little bumpier ride through the chop compared to the Fusion, but delivers for the hard charging freerider, most particularly in the boosting department because of its greater ability to load and store energy for explosive pop  and a denser flex for more controlled landings on bigger airs. Compared to the Fusion, the outline feels a bit fuller to give you a bit more surface area to load and release. For those that want a board that can handle heavier loading, the Choice delivers excellent load and pop for the skilled freestyler, but for the entry level kiter the performance aspects may take longer to dial in compared to the more user-friendly ride you get out of the Fusion. The Choice comes with an aggressive bottom shape that combined with its rocker,  has a bit of a skatey feel in terms of tracking, which makes you focus a bit more on heel and foot pressure while going upwind. In the larger scheme of things, the Choice compared to the other boards within the performance freestyle category, is quite easy to control upwind and testers felt the Choice was still friendly enough in the chop, with not a ton of tip spray. The Carbon construction keeps the weight down, with testers giving mixed reactions, some saying it felt very light and fast, others indicating middle of the road liveliness with the stiff flex pattern, which makes sense for a freestyle oriented board. The Choice will bring a smile to the face of a hard charger and is a board we’d recommend for the advanced freerider looking for a performance board that will match a more aggressive approach to riding,

The Choice came with the Union Pro bindings which feature a quad adjustment strap setup with easy to use Velcro adjusters. The board comes with three stance width options and a number of stance duck options to dial in the perfect feel. The pad itself features a lower profile pad that hugs the deck and the footpads feature a nice rubbery feel with a ton of ribbed texture. The heel offers nice cupping and there’s a little bit more aggressive arch and toe bump shaping which helps keep your foot glued into the strap. Testers gave the Union Pro excellent marks for adjustability and comfort.