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Sizes Available: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.5, 15, 17m
Sizes Tested: 8, 10, 12m

Core Says:

You’re addicted to life in the fast lane but in a good way. And when you go, you go big! We feel the same, riding our newest GTS. Our 5th gen Universal+ Series allrounder delivers the superpowers unhooked riders demand without messin’ up the original formula. We know how badass the GTS4 is. Its signature Future-C powered kiteloops, and unhooked confidence is something we’re proud of. Now, experience a decade of iterative magic with our new and improved GTS5.

Our freestyle ninja won’t let you down until you’re ready to land a perfect kiteloop transition. The GTS5’s power-on-demand looping puts you in total control of the kite’s speed, turn radius, and horizontal drift. Go ahead, test the new GTS5, and find out why our megaloop champs Josh and Steven ride ”˜em!

The GTS5 carries over its proven ExoTex 3 Strut Frame, Radical Reaction Tips, and Short Bridles. We optimized the leading edge diameters and tip geometry to improve flight stability especially when looping. We can’t forget to mention our new CIT Modes which customize the GTS5’s handling characteristics. In Wave mode, riders dial in compact turns and more depower. Whereas Freestyle mode adds more grunt and bigger turns. The GTS comes out of the bag in Allround mode which provides excellent depower, grunt, and hangtime. Wakestylers may even notice more pop from our larger sizes.

Visit for more info: www.corekites.com/us/kites/gts5

Our Testers Say:

“C-shape characteristics with an effective bridle setup that gives it large range, lots of depower and aggressive pop, lift and speed. Generates speed through turning arc and feels like strong freeride kite with freestyle chops.” // Dray Murray

“With its quick turns and readiness to boost at a moment’s notice, this kite is a weapon of choice for freestyle. Needs to be flown to generate power and relaunch needed delicate touch and noticeable heavier construction.” // Tib Anghel

“Consistent smooth power, nimble in the air for a 12meter kite, responsive bar pressure, fast turning, well-rounded freeride machine that delivered smooth consistent power with plenty of feedback.” // Joe Chehock

Meet Our Testers

TKB Says:

The Core GTS5 is back with a C-shaped 3-strut platform that features a slightly pulled back leading edge that transitions into square-shaped wingtips. The GTS5 has its own proprietary large diameter inflation valve that is super clean and simply uses the female end of a standard pump hose. Just insert the hose without an attachment and twist to lock (it’s worthy to note that some pump hoses such as the stock North hose or aftermarket pumps like WMFG have a female fitting that is too large to fit Core’s valve, so keep a regular hose on you at all times.) With the large size aperture the kite inflates very quickly and a valve stays closed until you screw in the stopper. When it’s time to deflate you pull a 2.5 inch plastic finger (hidden in a pocket of the center strut and attached by a small tether) into the valve to allow the air to deflate. The Core GTS5 features three settings on the front bridle which allows you to choose between: wave/depower, freeride/all around and freestyle/power. There are three settings on the wingtip to adjust bar pressure and the turning speed. Compared to earlier iterations of the GTS5, this version features a shorter length bridle which is a plus when you drop your kite in the surf and on failed kiteloops. One of the first things we always notice about the Core product is the solid construction that strikes an excellent balance between strength and light weight. Testers found the kite to have nice light to medium bar pressure that retained good measured balance between feedback and comfort into the larger sized kites. The bar feedback felt lively and responsive while the power delivery was fairly progressive for a freestyle shaped kite with  large square wingtips. Testers overall thought the GTS5 had direct and responsive steering response that made the kite very intuitive to fly. In the turning department, the steering path was not quite as pivotal and tight as the XR5. Instead, the GTS5 had a little bit more of a rounded steering path. Testers noted that the boosting felt good although perhaps not explosive on the all-around setting but user-friendly and easy to obtain both good boost and hangtime. The GTS5 definitely felt like it had some good pop and slack for unsent freestyle riding and in terms of relaunch, was probably not as good as the other delta/pulled back LE designs from Core (XR5 and Section) but the relaunch was reliable every time. When we placed the kite in the water dead downwind on its nose, with a little bit of pressure on one side of the bar the kite rotated onto a wingtip, but it did take a little time for it to taxi to the edge of the window to clear the wingtip and launch. Overall the GTS5 is a solid option for the kiter that is leaning towards wakestyle/unsent freestyle, but also crosses into surf, general freeride and big boosting. With its direct steering input, and fairly crisp turning response, this is a comfortable and balanced kite that can freestyle its way through just about everything.

The Sensor 2S is the middle of the Core range of control bars. The 2S is a dual adjustable length bar (46/52 cm) designed to control all size kites with standard 24m line length with the center lines ending in knots and the outside lines in loops. The plus version of this bar ”˜Sensor 2s+’ comes with four line-length extension options for those that want to vary their line lengths (choose between 18/20/22/24m by removing extensions). It comes equipped with a double PU-coated spectra sheeting/throw line, replaceable plastic insert, no sliding stopper and a non-removable donkey dick. The Sensor 2S features a single center-line safety depower with a high V, above bar depower and a custom clam cleat with a Velcro tuning handle to keep the depower control toggle from tangling.

Core bars have long been known for their twisting quick release with auto swivel ”˜S-System’ that doubles as a quick release guard and integrates ceramic bearings for longevity. As we have said before, it’s an effective system if you practice with it and is less prone to accidental releases. Yet, it is immensely important that riders new to the system should dial is some muscle memory so they’re ready to address any problems in a pinch. The length of sheeting/throw can be adjusted for varying arm lengths of kiters or the type of riding. The non-molded foam floats are connected to the bar ends with the tips of the bar being hard. While the outside leader lines allow riders to adjust the length of the outside lines for stretch or tuning (by choosing between two knots), the bar ends are easily swapped between 46/52cm by changing to a separate knot on the bar end. The bar’s center insert has a Core logo on one side and a stop logo on the other to prevent you from grabbing the bar backwards. One of the most noticeable aspects of this control bar is that it weighs virtually nothing yet you get all these features. The Team praised the bar’s simplicity with a medium plush stamped grip, commented on its fairly narrow diameter and its small but sufficient bar end winders with non-retractable bungees. It’s an amazingly very feature rich bar designed into a compact and lightweight package.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.corekites.com/us/bars/sensor-2s


With the help of 14 testers from all walks of kiteboarding, Tkb’s staff assembled detailed gear reviews with objective performance criteria of the latest 2019 kites, twin tips and foilboards all packed into one neat and tidy 180-page digital package. Get all the reviews in convenient digital guide here: https://www.thekiteboarder.com/product/2019-freeride-gear-review-guide/