Built with high-end components and technology, the 2024 Elan Wildcat 82CX is a sharp-turning ski for advanced and expert skiers who want to make the most of their time on groomed, smooth, and fast terrain. This ski returns unchanged for 2024, offering carving enthusiasts another opportunity to get on this energetic and smooth on-piste master. While it’s not based off of any race ski, it’s certainly got the front side application well covered. There’s some versatility here, but overall, the 82CX is far happier on firm snow and in a carved turn. Since most of us spend a lot of time on groomers, it makes sense to have a ski that excels in these areas. When it comes to strong and crisp performance, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than the Wildcat 82CX.

Elan builds specific right and left skis, and this allows them to be more creative with their building process. In this ski, they start with a tubelite wood core that is both energetic and light. By milling out strips along the sidewalls, Elan installs carbon rods and these do a bulk of the heavy lifting when it comes to energy and power. Whenever carbon is used in a three-dimensional format like this, it boosts the capabilities of the ski. Since the rods are placed in the ski under pressure already, there’s pre-loaded energy that makes the ski feel like it has some type of overdrive going on. From an asymmetric perspective, Elan uses their Amphibio TruLine technology to add material to the inside edges of the ski, allowing for a sharper edge grip on the downhill ski. As the uphill edge is free from this additional material, it tracks along nicely, creating a smooth and intuitive overall feel.

When it comes to shape and profile, the Wildcat 82CX uses asymmetry to contribute to the feel and style of the ski in a front side format. The Amphibio profile gives the inside edges longer camber while the outside edges get longer rocker. This makes the ski hook in when given pressure while the uphill ski tracks along smoothly and predictably. There’s minimal hooking with the shovel of the ski, making it a totally unique feel and character. At 82 mm underfoot, the ski is on the narrow side for all-mountain, so there’s not a ton of versatility built in here, but it’s still easy to turn so it is manageable in more adventurous formats. In the 158, we’re getting a pretty darn short 12-meter turn radius, keeping this ski on the slalom side of the spectrum. The stiffness makes it a bit more difficult to break free from that arc, but it can be done by more experienced and skilled skiers.

The high-class 2024 Elan Wildcat 82CX is one of the crisper and more precise skis out there on the market today. It pairs a stiff flex with a short radius and an incredibly smooth feel to create a unique overall personality. Since many skiers spend a whole lot of time on groomed terrain, it behooves us to get a conditions-appropriate ski. For us here in Vermont, we have a whole lot of firm and fast days in which a ski like the Wildcat 82CX is one of the best choices of the bunch.