2023 Elan Wildcat 82 C

With a bit of a graphics update for 2023, the Elan Wildcat 82 C is still a great option for intermediate and advanced skiers who love to carve it up on the groomers, and want something easy and friendly for that application. If you value roundness and cleanliness from your skis, the Wildcat 82 C is a fantastic option. That laminated wood core does have a fair amount of snap and pop already, and when you add the carbon reinforcement to the Amphibio construction technology, you’re getting a very energetic ski at a fantastic value.

Great for bumps, packed-out trees, and a bit of off-piste adventure, the Wildcat 82 C has a good amount of versatility built in, even though it’s on the low-end of the 80’s underfoot. Regardless of width, these skis have a light and playful nature to them that is just a whole lot of fun for a wide variety of skier types and terrain choices. Thanks to the asymmetric construction, Elan is able to put more material over the inside edges of the downhill skis while keeping the uphill edges lighter and more maneuverable. This right/left-specificity in terms of the ski’s build makes it a unique and awesomely smooth ski, especially in the transition phase of the turn.

Kerry Douglas-Pearce was on the 152, and noted that it was too short for her, and the fact that it produces an 11-meter turn radius in that size makes sense that she’d feel this way. She did state that “this would be an ideal length for an intermediate skier of equal size.” Kerry scored the 82 C top marks of 5 out of 5 for playfulness, quickness, and maneuverability, with 4’s for stability, forgiveness, torsional stiffness, maneuverability, and versatility. She calls it “Fast, snappy and easy to maneuver. Better with short to medium radius turns. Ideal for an intermediate, on-piste skier or someone who enjoys tight turns at high speed.” The lightness of the ski makes those sharp turns a lot easier, but you do have to put in the effort to get the performance out of it.

If you’re an intermediate skier and you spend most of your time on smooth and groomed terrain, this is a fantastic choice and value. Thanks to the asymmetric construction, you’re getting a ton of performance and sophistication out of this ski, and it makes a lot of sense to get something narrow enough to make turning easy, but with a strong enough build to handle higher-performance skiing.