Before the Black Edition of this ski came out, the Elan Wingman 86CTi was the flagship model of this line. Since the ski hasn’t changed except for graphics, it still carries with it a ton of power and pop—making it one of the better wider-bodied carvers out there that blurs the line between front side and all-mountain. We’ve found this to be one of the stiffer and more responsive skis in the market, especially at this width, providing amazing edge grip and stability for advanced and expert skiers who know how to carve a turn. Even at those levels, this ski is still surprisingly stiff and grippy, and can easily overpower a skier that isn’t into putting in the harder work required to make this one come to life. The shape and build create a wonderful mix of energy and sophistication, putting the Wingman 86CTi into a rare category when it comes to wider bodied carving skis.

Starting with a tubelite wood core, the Elan Wingman 86CTi is on the light side. The carbon tubes fit into milled-out zones along the sides of the ski, and anytime you’re replacing wood with carbon (and air since the tubes are hollow) you’re reducing weight while increasing stiffness. Carbon, placed in a 360-degree format, becomes a lot stiffer and more energetic as the properties of the material are enhanced by the three-dimensional application. Additionally, the tubes are placed in the ski under pressure, adhering to the sidecut of the ski, so there’s latent energy built in as well. Since the skis are asymmetrically constructed, Elan puts more material over the inside edges of the downhill ski, leaving the outside portion of the ski more flexible and manageable. With a titanal laminate to boost the dampness and grip of the ski, the Wingman 86CTi becomes one of the more powerful and strong skis on the market in this width range.

The shape blurs that line between front side and all-mountain, emphasizing a more carving-oriented taper and rocker style while keeping the wider footprint intact. While there are better all-mountain skis in this width range out there, there aren’t many better carvers this wide. The blend of shape, profile, and construction sees to that fact. Like the build, the profile is also asymmetric. The Amphibio profile puts more rocker on the uphill ski and more camber on the downhill ski. Since they’re left-right specific, this makes for a smooth and predictable release from the turn at each and every arc, regardless of conditions or terrain. While there’s a bit of taper in the tail to increase maneuverability, the tip is very low and wide with zero taper. In the 178, the ski generates a 16.5-meter turn radius, and we’ve found that it likes that shape as well as longer, but not necessarily shorter. It’s pretty stiff for skidding and making shorter swing turns, but it’s got the chops to open it up and rip longer radius and high-speed turns. This is one of the more stable and composed skis out there at high speeds—it feels very slippery on firm snow as it simply wants to go. 

At the top end of the high-performance spectrum, the 2024 Elan Wingman 86 CTi makes a whole lot of sense for advanced and expert skiers who don’t mind stiffness and power in a ski. The width makes it accessible for more skiers, as it has a good balance point, but it also makes it sturdier overall since there’s more mass and material. One of the cool things for 2024 is that it’s offered flat without bindings, with an EMX 12 FusionX system, and the new Protector 13 binding. By providing more choices for skiers, the overall appeal of these skis is boosted.