2027 Elan Wingman 83 C

The 2027 Elan Wingman 83 C returns unchanged for this year, bringing the same construction, shape, and profile from last year. If you’re looking for easy cruising carved turns and progression in an all-mountain format, the Wingman 83 C has a lot to offer. It works great for progressing beginners and intermediate skiers who are looking to enter the carving world and have a ski that’s light, fun, and easy to use.

Built with a laminated wood core consisting of poplar and beech, the Wingman 83 C also uses uni directional carbon strips to add energy and rebound to the mix. Since they are built by Elan, creative liberties were taken in the asymmetry of the ski, so we get more carbon along the inside edges and less carbon on the outside. This gives more grip on the downhill ski and an easier transition between turns with the uphill ski. It’s flexible enough to make turn initiation a total breeze, and the finish phase of the turn is super easy to find. Tester David Wolfgang calls it “a true progression ski. Ideal for an improving intermediate to advanced skier. It’s also ideal for groomed terrain. It’s quick edge to edge for dancing through the moguls.” The lighter weight combined with the narrower waist adds to that quickness and boosts skier confidence in tighter spots like bumps.

The shape and profile of the ski is identical to its Ti counterpart with an 83 mm waist buoyed by 131 mm tips and 112 mm tails. This ski generates a 15-meter turn radius in the 174, so it does prefer medium radius carves. It’s light and flexible enough to go shorter than that, but doesn’t quite have the stability or power to be comfortable going much faster. The shovels are on the wide side and that helps with turn initiation as it’s super easy to get these skis up on edge. Tester Jake Webber notes that “this ski felt soft, forgiving, and quick turning. Best for intermediates on groomers but you can really learn how to turn on this ski!” With amphibio rocker, the Wingman 83 C is smooth from edge to edge and delivers a big uptick in ease of use.

While most of our testers thought this was more of a beginner’s ski, I’d put a plug in here for the intermediates who are looking for a ski that’s both light and energetic. While it lacks the higher end of the Ti version, it does keep things easy and fun. Since most skiers spend most of their time on groomers, it makes sense to have a ski that works well in that realm, and these do a great job in that regard.