Fabian Moser traded Vienna's shallow and muddy waters for a photo shoot with the CORE crew in Mauritius to capture the latest wingfoil lineup. Despite missing classes and exams, exploring, surfing, and shooting produced incredible content that was undeniably worth it! Fabian shares his experience and showcases stunning shots from his team members, so get ready for some pretty cool visuals from this CORE trip to Mauritius!

At 24, growing up in the digital age, it's nearly impossible to remain untouched by mesmerising pictures on Instagram and Facebook. Especially as a wannabe surfer like myself, you see seemingly everybody else surfing, kiting and wingfoiling in exotic places with crystal blue waters and palm trees. But back to reality: you find yourself stuck at a university in Vienna, with access to either a muddy lake with water levels too shallow for proper winging or a mostly gusty river in the middle of the city, both falling short of the breathtaking scenes you've just scrolled through on your feed.

This March, I had the chance to join the Core team, including Chantale Pöttgens, Dylan Wichmann and Willow River Tonkin, on their photoshoot in Mauritius for their latest wingfoil lineup, which I didn’t hesitate to agree to. We were based in the southwest of the island, near Le Morne. We chased swells and winds whenever possible to capture awesome visuals for the upcoming, freshly dropped marketing campaign. This meant leaving my university studies in sports equipment technology for a good month, even though I usually study full-time on campus, with no real opportunity for remote work during this period. As expected, my lecturers weren't too enthusiastic about supporting this 'holiday' in the middle of the semester, which meant I had some extra work cut out for me when I came back, but that was a problem for my future self considering I was not going to let this opportunity slide.

I arrived in Mauritius with the expectation of experiencing the tropical vibes of an Indian Ocean island, prepared for big waves and constant winds. Those expectations were quickly dashed as the first tropical rain shower hit, and windlessness settled in. Don’t get me wrong, there are worse places to get stuck in, and with all the classes I was missing, I filled the time with catching up on studying while simultaneously exploring the beautiful island and spending one or the other morning surfing with some friends. With all those things on my mind, the mission was still the shooting, which meant getting the wing gear ready, checking and preparing camera equipment, setting up drones and organising boats for when the wind was back. And it came back with a banger! 

The first day of the shooting started with a massive swell accompanied by awesome wind. The new gear performed, the riders were on point, and we were able to produce some epic content over the next few days and weeks. After shooting days, when the equipment was sorted out, cameras and drones were cleaned, charged and ready to go again, it was time to share the sunset atmosphere with the mosquitos while programming another part of my semester project or getting tired over some lecture slides.

With Mauritius being one of my dream destinations to hit the water, my first session was really special, especially after coming from Austria in early spring, where I had my last session a week prior in 10° water and freezing wind in my winter wetsuit with hood, gloves and booties on. While entering the water, I almost flinched out of habit because I was not used to being warm in board shorts. As I revelled in my first-ever session on the waves in Mauritius,  it was also my first time using the whole new lineup from Core. The Halo and the Roamer S should have been no surprise to me since I was included in the development process and have been able to ride earlier prototypes already. The Vert foil range, on the other hand, was still new to me. The idea behind this new range of products was to offer a progressive range for advanced riders who grew out of their previous Core gear or are looking for gear that enables performance on the highest level. The transition from last year's products seems intuitive, as the feeling is similar to the Roamer and Spectrum combination. With this year's addition of a carbon mast, the high-aspect Vert front wings and the stabiliser, you can really feel a step up in performance. Thanks to the new mast-base unit and carbon construction, the setup feels incredibly stiff, giving precise control in all your manoeuvres. The special taper design of the mast was chosen to reduce drag the further your mast comes out of the water, and especially with the addition of the Vert 700 front wing and the redesigned stabiliser, I could feel the difference in speed. The Roamer S, which is only available in smaller sizes, fulfilled my desire to get an even smaller and lighter board for wave riding and freestyle. The board's shape feels incredibly balanced and supports you in getting up and going. With the small volume of the board, getting up on the foil is more challenging, but once you are flying, you can feel the agility from the strict weight loss program the board was put through. It is a thought-through construction with reduced paintwork to save weight, which exposes the beautifully crafted carbon layers. Perfect for everyone looking for a board to push their riding to the next level. Although it is primarily not promoted that way, it also made for an awesome surf foil board on days without wind. 

The completely redesigned Halo Core's new performance wing is topping it all off. The first time I saw it, I mistook it for an Aluula XC with a boom instead of handles. Yes, it has a very familiar feel, but it just felt like the next step. Thanks to a new material combination, the wing got much stiffer while reducing the overall weight. With a more rigid front handle and reduced weight, the branch follows you effortlessly in the wave. The most apparent change, the boom, improves the wing's handling by allowing it to grab it almost along the entire strut, enabling new possibilities and tricks. Overall, the new line of products is equally good for improving riders looking to enhance their skills and advanced riders pushing the limits.

In retrospect, missing several exams and weeks of lectures may seem reckless. Being a student who is not committed could be interpreted as a waste of time, but I would argue differently as someone with more than one field of interest. The opportunity to test the gear beforehand and be one of the first to ride the final versions was cool and reminded me of what I am studying for. I find it hard to accept that choosing one path rules out other options. Was it worth it? Definitely! Travelling as a full-time student is not quite as relaxed as I hoped, but after catching up with all the lectures and passing all the exams I missed, I’m ready for the next adventure!

The End

CORE's latest range of performance wing foil gear has seen a significant upgrade with the introduction of the Halo Pro wings, Vert foils, and Roamer S board. These additions perfectly complement their existing range of entry/intermediate foil gear. What's impressive about the new lineup is that the entire spectrum and very foil collections are interchangeable, allowing you to create the ideal setup to suit your level and the current conditions. 

The Halo Pro and Vert foils are built for speed and offer higher stall speeds, making them the perfect choice for tackling challenging conditions like strong winds and big waves. When the winds are lighter, I prefer the spectrum foil with XC wings, which are more forgiving and have better low-end capabilities than the new range.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to test and capture footage of Core's latest gear in Mauritius, which proved to be a fantastic experience as I had never foiled outside of South Africa before. The trip was incredibly enjoyable, and I got to experience the thrill of foiling in the crystal-clear waters of Mauritius.

 

Videos

ROAMER S & VERT - NEXT LEVEL FOILING
By Fabian Moser

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