I would like to get a front fork for marathon or amateur XC riding. I am just starting out with MTB, and given that there is little difference in price between aluminum (€1,300) and carbon (€1,500), I would like to take a chance.
For me, carbon is obviously a wonderful material. You can shape it however you want; the only limit is your imagination. In fact, all my bikes are made of carbon, but I understand that people may have doubts.
Carbon is more fragile in the event of an impact, as many already know, but, given that everything depends on the engine (the cyclist themselves), a carbon frame generally performs better than an aluminum one because it has characteristics of flexibility and rigidity that aluminum can never match for the same weight.
For a beginner, it is not so important to choose carbon or aluminum, but rather, if possible, to try out the bikes you are interested in, listen to the sensations they give you, and, of course, choose the one that gives you the best sensations.