2027 Elan Playmaker 101

The 2027 Elan Playmaker 101 is a carryover model for this year with the same shape, construction, profile, and graphics as last year. These surfy twins are a ton of fun when it comes to mixing soft snow in the trees, wide open bowls, backcountry hits, and resort terrain park performance. The Playmakers stand out from other twins in this range mainly due to their light weight and high mobility, attractive qualities for lighter and less aggressive skiers who mix park and off-piste time on snow. By drawing inspiration from surf design and style, the Playmaker 101 is a fun floater and a shifty ski with fantastic mobility.

Length164 · 172 · 180 · 188cm

Side cut

132/101/122 mm

at 180 cm length

Turn radius

18.1 m

at 180 cm length

Recommended terrain: Freeride, Park, All-Mountain
Ability level: Advanced Intermediate, Expert
Rocker profile: Rocker/Camber/Rocker
Construction: Wood Core, Carbon, Fiberglass, Sintered Base

Keeping this ski light and accessible is a high priority for Elan. Built with a light wood core made with poplar and paulownia, the Playmaker 101 uses carbon rods along the sides of the ski, embedded into the core. While the Ripstick series has longer rods that go almost tip to tail, Playmaker 101 uses shorter ones that extend just beyond the mount zone. They also take very creative liberties with the milling shape of the ski, as the central portion is far more trapezoidal than the rest. This gives the skier a higher perch to gain some leverage and adds a sharper edge grip to the middle. Elan uses 360-degree sidewalls for a sturdy feel and increased edge hold. In the 180, Elan is stating a weight of 1685 g/ski which is certainly on the lighter side of the spectrum. Tester Matt McGinnis states that “the key feature here is the liveliness. Right from the first pop I could tell these skis wanted to bounce around and get in the air as much as possible.” By keeping the weight down, getting off the snow and into the air is so easy on these skis.

The Rocker / Camber / Rocker profile of the 2027 Elan Playmaker 101

Skiing is a great counterpart to surfing, and as a result, the shape here is very much surf-inspired. With gradual rocker in both tips and tails to go along with a spoony taper shape, the flotation of these 101’s is excellent for the width. They do not use their amphibio rocker profile here, instead focusing on symmetry and smoothness. The ski’s dimensions of 132/101/122 generate an 18.1-meter turn radius in the 180, allowing for clean and round arcs on softer groomers and high mobility in softer snow. They’re easy to turn as a result in a variety of conditions and terrain. Matt Stromecki states that the Playmaker 101 “Lives up to the name for sure! Very agile and playful due to the shape and extreme light weight. The tips and tails are SUPER soft while the underfoot is a bit stiffer. They are not that stable because of the overall soft flex and extremely light weight. They don't like speed and mixed conditions. But light weight skiers and freestyle creatives will like this ski a lot. If you are over 180 pounds and value stability, you will want to look elsewhere.”

Light, agile, flickable, and super, super fun for me to ski in a wide range of terrain. Love it in the park, really like it in the trees too, and I'm perfectly happy cruising groomers on it.

Jeff Neagle

With a strong mix of freeride and freestyle, these skis blur the lines of creativity and performance. These continue to be fun and exciting twin tips, even if they’re on the light side. It’s all about blending attributes when you get into this range, and these skis mix it up with the best of them, just so long as you’re not expecting endless power and stability. Skiers in the intermediate range through experts will love the mobility and agility here, as the Playmaker 101 continues to prove its worth as a surfy twin for the resort and beyond. This broad reach is very helpful for both Elan and the target market as they will get a fun and playful ski for tricks, powder, and all-mountain entertainment.

Tester Reviews

6 testers reviewed the 2027 Elan Playmaker 101

tester:

Grant Wieler

Ability: Expert
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 200
Days / Year: 50
Age: 38
Years Skiing: 35

Freeride oriented

Ski:

2027 Elan Playmaker 101 Skis

Size Tested:

188 CM

Location, Terrain, Snow Conditions Notes

Hard pack/corduroy on gondolier at Stowe.

Did this length feel short, long, or just right? Would you recommend sizing up or down, or does it ski "true to size?" Would you choose this length for yourself?

Ski is a little bit short due to the early rise, I was happy I sized up to the 188.

Scores

Floatation:6/10

Stability:6/10

Quickness:8/10

Playfulness:7/10

Forgiveness:7/10

Edge Grip:7/10

Versatility:5/10

Overall:6/10

What's your first impression of this ski? How did it feel?

It’s a lightweight and nimble all mountain twin tip. I wouldn’t say it’s the liveliest in the class, the card and Stregger’s dead in the feedback. A little bit, the other side of the coin is once you lean into them, they hold you really nicely which I was happy about given the conditions of my test run. I was just dying to take this off piste and some bumps and soft snow to see how playful it could get, a nice and dependable platform for freeride around the mountain, confidence inspiring in the air with a nice progressive spring, a really fun ski.

For what type of terrain would you recommend this ski? Why does it perform well in that terrain?

This ski wants to be off piste and hopping around soft snow, but it is also confidence inspiring for some hard pack corduroy on your way back to the lift for another lap.

What's the appropriate ability level and/or style for this ski? Why is it appropriate for that type of skier?

Advanced through expert skiers will have an absolute blast on this ski. Intermediate skiers should have a great time, I just wouldn’t recommend sizing up.

Anything else you want to tell us about your experience on these skis?

It broke my heart, not to have the conditions to really do this ski justice! I could see myself having a ton of fun on this ski in its preferred conditions.

Jeff submitted 3 test cards — select one:

tester:

Jeff Neagle

Ability: Expert
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 165
Days / Year: 120-140
Age: 40
Years Skiing: 38

Flowing and Kind of Fast with Freestyle/Freeski Influence

Ski:

2027 Elan Playmaker 101 Skis

Size Tested:

180 CM

Location, Terrain, Snow Conditions Notes

Stowe, groomers, park, trees, some soft snow.

Did this length feel short, long, or just right? Would you recommend sizing up or down, or does it ski "true to size?" Would you choose this length for yourself?

Definitely skis a bit short, but I like the 180

Scores

Floatation:7/10

Stability:5/10

Quickness:10/10

Playfulness:10/10

Forgiveness:10/10

Edge Grip:6/10

Versatility:8/10

Overall:10/10

What's your first impression of this ski? How did it feel?

Love it. Absolutely love it. Sure, there's a pretty big limitation for stability here, but that doesn't bother me. Light, agile, flickable, and super, super fun for me to ski in a wide range of terrain. Love it in the park, really like it in the trees too, and I'm perfectly happy cruising groomers on it. Definitely not the most edge grip or stability, but enough that I can get down a groomer without feeling like it's completely pointless. You just have to ski it with a progressive, creative attitude and then its lack of stability doesn't feel like an issue.

For what type of terrain would you recommend this ski? Why does it perform well in that terrain?

I think it's relatively important to have park skiing in the equation here. It's so fun in the park, and really a lot of its focus and intention is in the park, that when you take out that element, its limitations start to feel more significant. If you're a park skier, you'll probably enjoy it everywhere. If you're not a park skier, you might not like it anywhere.

What's the appropriate ability level and/or style for this ski? Why is it appropriate for that type of skier?

Playmaker 101 is super easy to ski, so an intermediate could handle it without issue. Expert park skiers who like light, soft skis will love it.

Anything else you want to tell us about your experience on these skis?

I own a pair!

tester:

Jeff Neagle

Ability: Expert
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160
Days / Year: 0
Age: 39
Years Skiing: 37

Flowy, creative, as smooth as I can be.

Ski:

2027 Elan Playmaker 101 Skis

Size Tested:

180 CM

Location, Terrain, Snow Conditions Notes

Stowe, mostly packed powder groomers with some park too.

Did this length feel short, long, or just right? Would you recommend sizing up or down, or does it ski "true to size?" Would you choose this length for yourself?

I like this size, but it probably skis a little short...

Scores

Floatation:7/10

Stability:5/10

Quickness:9/10

Playfulness:10/10

Forgiveness:9/10

Edge Grip:6/10

Versatility:8/10

Overall:9/10

What's your first impression of this ski? How did it feel?

Definitely not a ski for everyone, but boy is it fun for me! I love the surfy nature of the Playmaker 101 and its playful, fun flex. It's so easy to manipulate in different situations. Butters, presses, smeary turns, it's just constantly inspiring you to be creative on your skis. For my weight, I do find that it has enough overall stability that I can still ski aggressively, but I gave it a lower score for stability overall as I think a heavier skier would find a limit more quickly. Love skiing it in the park, in the trees, and I personally like cruising groomers on it too!

For what type of terrain would you recommend this ski? Why does it perform well in that terrain?

It's best in those situations I just listed: park, trees, and ideally when some soft snow or at least nice packed powder is mixed in. If you're expecting a lot of grip on a groomer, that's where you'd likely be disappointed.

What's the appropriate ability level and/or style for this ski? Why is it appropriate for that type of skier?

I think an intermediate would get along well with the Playmaker 101 as it's approachable and forgiving. Could be a cool choice for someone's first more freeride oriented ski. On the other hand, a lighter weight expert like myself will also love it. I think the key is that you should have some freestyle influence in your skiing style. Without that, there are probably better skis.

If you could change anything about these skis, what would you change and why?

We met with Elan and talked about graphics and there was an option to put "jersey" inspired numbers and overall graphics on it, like a sports team. That was my vote. I still think it looks good like this, but I was excited about the other graphic option.

tester:

Matt McGinnis

Ability: Expert
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 180
Days / Year: 65
Age: 35
Years Skiing: 23. Also insane.

Chargey, sendy, and seeking transitions. But now that I'm 35...also calculated. I'm not saying yes to every hit anymore, but if the snow is soft and the landing is good, I'll send it.

Ski:

2027 Elan Playmaker 101 Skis

Size Tested:

180 CM

Location, Terrain, Snow Conditions Notes

Stowe, tyro and small park, granular

Did this length feel short, long, or just right? Would you recommend sizing up or down, or does it ski "true to size?" Would you choose this length for yourself?

Just right

Scores

Floatation:7/10

Stability:8/10

Quickness:10/10

Playfulness:10/10

Forgiveness:8/10

Edge Grip:8/10

Versatility:8/10

Overall:9/10

What's your first impression of this ski? How did it feel?

I’ve heard good things about this ski, so my expectations were pretty high. That said, I was pleasantly surprised when these skis exceeded them. The key feature here is the liveliness. Right from the first pop, I could tell these skis wanted to bounce around and get in the air as much as possible.

For what type of terrain would you recommend this ski? Why does it perform well in that terrain?

I would recommend these for all types of terrain, especially trails and snow conditions that invite lots of popping and air time. I did take these for a park lap for good measure, and found they performed admirably on jumps. While I wouldn’t say these are a full on park ski, I was able to spin them pretty easily, only slightly noticing their swing weight.

What's the appropriate ability level and/or style for this ski? Why is it appropriate for that type of skier?

I think intermediates could ski these, but upper intermediates and advanced skiers who are comfortable catching some air time would be better suited to make the most of these.

If you could change anything about these skis, what would you change and why?

I might just bring up the tip and tail height a little bit. I was able to butter them just fine, but I’d be hesitant to try a nollie in slushy snow as I could imagine the tips digging in.