2023 Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition

With a slightly new design for 2023, the Elan Wildcat 86 C Black Edition returns structurally unchanged for this year, unless you count the lack of Swarovski crystals something that’s structural. Either way, the Wildcat 86 C Black Edition is an awesome choice for intermediate and advanced skiers who are looking for a mid-80's all-mountain carver that blurs the line between front side skiing and adventure seeking. Built with Elan’s laminated wood core, we get one layer of carbon reinforcement that stiffens the ski and makes for a responsive product, but it keeps the demand down and the fun-levels up. The mid-80's is a great place to be for versatile skiing, and since Elan already has a trusted shape and construction, this ski just makes sense. In the 164 cm length, the skis produce a 14.7-meter turn radius, so that’s right in the middle range of shapes, allowing skiers the choice of either sticking to that shorter arc or letting them run at higher speeds and in longer turns. Other than the coloring, there’s nothing structurally different about the 86 C Black Edition, but it sure looks cool!

Abby Maurice skied the 164 and loved the size. She scored it top marks of 5 out of 5 for torsional stiffness, edge hold, and stability, with 4’s running the rest of the card. Abby notes that the ski had “Effortless quickness, easy maneuverability, and an elegant turn shape. You can really lean in and glide through turn completion with minor adjustments. The entire ride was extremely stable and reliable. Good for groomers and some tree play but I felt this was a more front side of the mountain ski. I would recommend this to an intermediate skier that wants to progress or an advanced skier who likes to perfect the carved turn.” The ease of use and effortless character are due in large part to the asymmetric build for sure. Susan Dorn notes about her 164: “Zipidee doodah!! 14.7 m radius felt like 13. Easy to turn, great edge grip through the turn and a pop at the end. Advanced skiers only to really enjoy this one.” Susan had 5’s for stability, quickness, maneuverability, and playfulness. Overall impression, versatility, torsional stiffness, edge hold, and forgiveness all got 4’s, showing her favorable experience on the Wildcat 86 C Black Edition.

Jana Ross prefers the shorter lengths, so the 158 was a good one for her. She had 5’s out of 5 for overall impression, torsional stiffness, edge hold, forgiveness, playfulness, quickness, maneuverability, and stability. Flotation and versatility got 4’s, showing a very high-end baseline average for the Wildcat 86 C. In Jana’s words: “I skied this ski on a perfect groomer and it was a joy to ride. It turns on a dime. I found it pretty effortless to make super-fast turns or carve down the mountain. If you like to ski the groomers, this is a great ski for you.” Brooke Mars was on the 164, and has a nice direct comparison to the 82 CX that she didn’t really like: “Surprisingly quick edge to edge considering the width. I would love to try these skis again on a day with better conditions because the mix of sugar and boilerplate makes it hard to fairly judge any ski really. I do prefer this model compared to the wildcat 82 CX--they seemed easier to maneuver and I felt like I had way more control.” Control, on skis, is a very good thing for sure.

We’re big fans of all of Elan’s Black Edition skis, and the Wildcat 86 C is right up there with the rest of them. By using a combination of an existing shape and an existing build, skiers get something new and unique that looks as sharp as it skis.