CORE HALO PRO LW

The world of winging is a rapidly evolving one… CORE have mastered the art of keeping an eye on the direction-of-travel of the market and then producing products which are well-refined and in keeping with the way the wind is blowing, so to speak. The Halo Pro LW is a fantastic example of this. Super light wind wings are nothing new, but wings that are actually responsive and fun to ride within the sub 12 knot world are an entirely different beast.

As an extension of the Halo series, CORE’s Aluula infused offerings (3m-6m), the building blocks for the Light Wind edition are there – but rather than just extend out the size and call it a LW edition, CORE have revisited the design and engineered a wing which addresses the realities of riding in super light wind. The most obvious evidence of this is the inclusion of an additional strut on each side close to the wing tip. While it may seem counterintuitive to add in struts on a wing that needs to be light, the benefits of having a wing which is big (and at 8m it is BIG!) but still responsive and stiff all the way through to the tips outweigh the weight sacrifice. Plus construction is full Aluula and the additional struts are super skinny so the weight addition is not hugely significant.

Canopy is CORE’s proprietary CoreTex 2 which is proven across CORE’s other kites and wings and has minimal stretch to ensure that the wing remains stiff and holds its shape, supported by the ultra-stiff Aluula skeleton. It’s also highly tear and UV resistant so should survive plenty of slams and see you through a few summer seasons.

The Halo Pro LW has an extended boom – longer than is required for 90% of your riding, but enabling you to tweak your hand positions in super light air to really maximize your angle of attack, as well as giving you extra scope for depower if the wind kicks in and you find yourself trying to hold it down in 20+ knots!

First impressions once you hit the water with the Halo Pro LW: woah – this wing has some serious power! Our first time out was in around 14 knots and riding a 65L board and the Halo Pro LW had us up and riding pretty much without pumping – it’s insane. Once you are riding and begin generating apparent wind, you can ease off and appreciate that it is a feather-light wing that is well balanced. It almost finds its own place in terms of power – there is so much grunt on tap that you can just hold on with your front arm and then a little input from the rear arm and there is as much or as little power as you need. Despite the fact that we were at points a little overpowered, there was very little flutter from the wing and it held its shape throughout transitions and carves and was a smooth ride.

We also had the Halo Pro LW out on a super light day, averaging around 12 knots but with some big holes and definite sub 6 knot patches. Again, the Halo Pro LW delivered insane amounts of power – for pumping (particularly on a mid-length) a couple of pumps and the board begins tracking forward and you are away. Once you’re on foil you can sheet the wing in and then seek out patches of wind – if the wind drops out then a few pumps of the wing and you’re flying along again, ready for that next little puff. For transitions, the wing is super light and happily sits above you providing you have enough board speed. Of course in light wind everything happens a click slower and you need to be on point with your maneuvers, but the Halo Pro LW gives you the power and forgiving performance you need to head out on those days when you really aren’t sure if it is worth it, and to still have an absolute blast.

The Halo Pro LW is obviously a ‘time and place’ wing that isn’t going to be your go-to wing, but for light days when you want to get out and ride… it’s a machine.