Overview
“Born and raised there. And yes, it’s a water sports destination. It’s for us at Carved and Core a perfect place to live and to work.”
CORE Kiteboarding is one of the world’s largest kitesurfing and watersports brands, headquartered on the island of Fehmarn, Germany’s watersports mecca. Alongside Duotone Kiteboarding, it holds a top market share in major global markets, offering a wide range of products across kitesurfing, wingfoiling, and hydrofoiling. With its iconic monochrome black-and-white (and yellow) color scheme and uncompromising German build quality, the brand has established massive recognition, making its gear instantly identifiable from a kilometer away on beaches worldwide.
Brand History and Philosophy
The roots of CORE Kiteboarding trace back to “Carved,” an ultra-high-end custom carbon board brand founded on Fehmarn by Bernd Hiss. Initially, Carved catered to hardcore wakestyle (modern freestyle) riders. However, recognizing the need for a mainstream brand that anyone could handle without being overwhelmed by technical gear demands—while preserving Carved’s pure, cutting-edge image—CORE Kiteboarding was established in 2007. Philip Schinnagel, who has driven the company’s international growth since its inception, currently serves as CEO.
The brand’s core philosophy is not merely pursuing peaky, competition-only performance, but delivering supreme quality and durability that works flawlessly right out of the box with perfect balance, lasting for years without failure or trouble. Consequently, while many brands in the industry release new models annually, CORE Kiteboarding has strictly adhered to a “2-year product cycle” since its founding. This approach—allowing the R&D team and test crew to thoroughly mature products before bringing them to market—solidified the brand’s value and trust even amidst the industry-wide overstock issues and discounting wars following the pandemic.
Signature Products
- XR / XR Pro: The 5-strut delta bow kite that embodies the brand’s DNA. Evolving on a 2-year cycle since its debut in 2007, the lineup now features the milestone “XR10 (XRX)” and the Aluula-equipped “XR Pro” series. It is a legendary model that harmonizes contradictory traits at a high level: offering easy “Sheet and Go” handling and safety suitable for a beginner’s first school kite, while packing otherworldly lift and hangtime that allow pro riders to continually shatter WOO world records.
- Pace / Pace Pro: A 3-strut fixed-bridle model crafted by XR series designer Frank Ilfrich. Developed to meet the demands of double and triple loops in the modern Big Air scene, it followed a reverse development path: the high-end Aluula “Pace Pro” was developed and launched first, followed by the standard Dacron (ExoTex) “Pace” after the Pro’s overwhelming success.
- GTS: A 3-strut model specialized for megaloops, freestyle, and newschool riding.
- Nexus: An all-round 3-strut kite catering to every genre, from wave riding and strapless freestyle to freeride.
- Section: A model engineered exclusively for pure wave riding.
- Impact: A former 5-line pure C-kite in the lineup, favored by park-style and hardcore freestyle riders.
- Sensor (Control Bar): A control bar series that shocked the industry with its original unibody construction, continually evolving into the Sensor 3 Pro and Sensor 4. It features a system to freely switch line lengths between 18m, 20m, 22m, and 24m, alongside top-tier safety and durability.
- Board Lineup: Features the pinnacle carbon twintip “Imperator” inheriting Carved’s heritage, bestselling models “Fusion” and “Choice,” and surfboards including the “Ripper,” “Green Room,” and “720.”
Technical Features and WOO World Records
CORE Kiteboarding boasts a robust structural design that never rips or explodes even when looping kites in storm winds exceeding 35 knots, demonstrating historical dominance on the “WOO” Big Air leaderboard.
In the past, Joshua Emanuel rode the XR5 to reclaim the WOO World Record (28.9m) from Nick Jacobsen, raising the benchmark for jump height alongside collaborations like the “WOO / CORE XR5 Challenge.” During the XR6 era, the kite monopolized the top tiers of both men’s and women’s WOO rankings, led by Maarten Haeger (34.8m),Mike Mac Donald(34.1m), and Joshua Emanuel (34.0m).
Furthermore, in 2023, on the exact release day of the Aluula-equipped “XR Pro,” team riders Joshua Emanuel and Maarten Haeger embarked on an expedition to Denmark in raging winds up to 60 knots. The world record was broken multiple times within a single day’s session, culminating in Maarten Haeger setting a staggering WOO World Record of 36.8 meters. In the women’s division as well, with riders like Nora Clement recording top scores in 2024 on the XR Pro, the brand has cemented its status as a “world record machine” that pushes riders to new personal records regardless of skill level.
Team Riders
Rather than strictly mandating competition podiums, CORE Kiteboarding cultivates a unique team culture that values character, content creation, and tight-knit “family” unity.
Key Active Riders
- Joshua Emanuel: A Big Air specialist from Durban, South Africa, and pioneer of the Superloop. Riding the XR5 and XR Pro, he has set multiple WOO World Records and maintains a fierce presence at Red Bull King of the Air.
- Maarten Haeger: A Dutch rider who broke the 30-meter barrier as a teenager, logged 34.8m on the XR6, and set the 36.8m WOO World Record in Denmark on the XR Pro’s release day.
- Gabriel Benetton: A Brazilian wave and strapless rider. Riding the Section and the Green Room surfboard, he reigns at the pinnacle of the global wave scene, claiming the GKA Kitesurf World Champion title in 2024.
- Steven Akkersdijk: A central figure supporting the brand since the original GTS era. After establishing his pro status with a 3rd-place finish at Red Bull King of the Air, he now contributes deeply to brand development not only as a team rider but also as lead videographer and drone pilot for official shoots.
- Willow-River Tonkin: A rider from Mauritius active across big wave barrel riding—most notably charging his notoriously dangerous, fast local reef break “One Eye”—as well as competing on the GKA Strapless Wave Tour and starring in freeride promotions.
- Erick Anderson / Susanne Schwarztrauber: A talented roster spans every discipline, including Cumbuco, Brazil local Erick Anderson competing on the freestyle tour, and German wave/strapless standout Susanne Schwarztrauber.
- Angely Bouillot / Gabi Steindl / Nora Clement: Leading female riders who have set top scores and numerous records in the women’s Big Air scene and WOO leaderboards riding the XR series.
Former Riders and Historical Alumni
- Giel Vlugt / Zara Hoogenraad: Dutch Big Air rider Giel Vlugt defined an era upon returning from Ocean Rodeo, riding the XR Pro and Pace Pro and making history by landing the sport’s first-ever triple loop. His partner Zara Hoogenraad was also part of the team, excelling in women’s Big Air.
- Janek Grzegorzewski /Ross-Dillon Player: Poland’s Janek Grzegorzewski dominated Big Air events such as the BAKL (Big Air Kite League) on the XR6, while South Africa’s Ross-Dillon Player gained fame for his radical megaloops at Red Bull King of the Air, leaving vivid marks on the team’s history.
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Search Aliases: CORE Kiteboarding, COREKiteboarding, Core Kites, CoreKites, CORE