Review: 2026 Elan Playmaker 111 Skis

Elan Playmaker 111 Specs

• Size skied: 180, 188cm
• Lengths available: 172cm, 180cm, 188cm
• Sidecut: 142mm - 111mm - 132mm
• Radius: 19m (180cm),23.5m (188cm)
• Profile: Surf Rocker
• Weight: 1790g (180cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

Elan’s Playmaker 111 is about as classic of a twin-tip powder ski as you’ll find. There’s plenty of camber underfoot, with subtle long-and-low rocker lines in the tip and tail–Elan aptly labels this as their “surf rocker” shape. Interestingly, between sizes, the turn radius changes dramatically with the shorter lengths (172 and 180cm) featuring an 18 and 19m radius, respectively, while the longer 188cm length jumps up to a much longer 23.5m radius. Consequently the shorter skis feel much more nimble and turny, while the 188 offers significantly more stability at speed. 

Inside the ski, Elan skips any metal and relies instead on their tried-and-true carbon rod construction, which uses two carbon fiber rods built into the core directly under the binding to add some stiffness and quick rebound without added weight. The Playmaker 111 has very soft tips and tails, with a medium-stiff underfoot section. The flex feels round and predictable, and those carbon rods make the ski extremely poppy. 

At 1790 grams for the 180cm length, these are some of the lightest weight powder skis we tested this year, on par with most backcountry-specific touring skis.

On-Snow Performance

When I first hopped aboard the Playmaker 111 at our Sunshine Village ski test, I was convinced that a ski this light and soft could only be a purpose-built soft snow tool, and wouldn’t hold up in variable snow or high speeds. To put it mildly, our team of testers had to work pretty hard to find anything deeper than a few inches of fresh powder (though we did!), but had plenty of opportunity to drop into serious big-mountain terrain in wind blown, chalky and even less-than-ideal firm conditions.

Unsurprisingly, the Playmaker 111 is an absolute hoot in deep snow, offering a very drifty and surfy ride in powder. It’s nearly effortless to pop wheelies, butter around, and jump off, jib, and trick natural features. Despite the huge shovels, the skis offer an extremely low swing weight, which makes them feel smaller and easier to ski than their size might sugges

Where they surprised me, however, was how confident the 188cm length felt in exposed freeride terrain. The longer 23.5-meter radius measurably adds stability to the ski, and despite the light weight, the edge hold was phenomenal, inspiring big freeride turns in technical terrain. The best part? That low swing weight and the centered mount point make the ski really easy to toss sideways to shut things down. 

The ski does struggle in firm, chopped up conditions–there’s just not quite enough mass there to plow through cruddy snow, instead the ski deflects off the chunks and gets chattery at high speeds.

One tester noted: “This is a floaty, surfy, buttery, playful pow ski! It's light and super maneuverable for how big it is, and makes skiing everything from two inches to waist deep pow really fun, as long as the snow is relatively smooth. Surprisingly good edge grip on icy groomers for a 111 with massive shovels.” 

Another adds: “If you want something that won’t kill your legs but is a bigger ski then this is a great option.” 

Comparisons

Freestyle powder skis are yet again having a moment right now, with most brands offering something akin in shape and size to the Elan Playmaker 111.

Perhaps the most similar is the Atomic Bent 110, which shares a near-identical waist width and a similarly light weight. Both skis are very approachable and extremely easy to ski in soft snow, but the Bent 110 offers a bit more oomph and damping for skiing fast when things get tracked out or otherwise undesirable. However, the Playmaker 111 beats the Atomic in terms of float and playfulness when things get really deep.

Another comparison many testers drew was between the Playmaker 111 and the Rossignol Sender Free 110. Compared to the Rossignol, the Elan is much lighter, poppier and nimble, but lacks the confidence to blast through variable snow, which is perhaps the Sender Free’s best attribute.

What type of skier is the Elan Playmaker 111 best for?

Elan’s new Playmaker 111 is by no means a one-ski-quiver sort of ride. In fact, it’s probably not even the best powder ski choice for many skiers, especially those looking to ski fast on resort powder days. Instead, it would make a great option for two (albeit very different) skiers: park rats looking for a jibby, playful ski on resort powder days, and skiers who maybe don’t get to ski powder all that much who are looking for an easy-to-ski lightweight fat ski that won’t tire them out immediately.