Elan Playmaker 87 — Review

The Elan Playmaker 87 is the narrowest member of Elan's freestyle-leaning all-mountain twin-tip line. With an 87mm waist (at 156cm) and a Surf Rocker profile, it targets skiers who spend most of their day on groomers and resort terrain but want a forgiving, playful platform that can hop into the park, butter a side hit, or ski switch out of a feature without fuss. Where the wider Playmaker siblings push toward freeride, the 87 stays firmly in the frontside-twin-tip pocket.

The relatively tight turn radius — 12.0m at 136cm climbing to 17.0m at 182cm — gives the Playmaker 87 a quick, willing feel on hardpack. The Surf Rocker profile keeps the tip and tail loose so the ski pivots easily, smears in soft snow and slides switch landings predictably. Carving feel is honest rather than racy: the laminated woodcore and RST sidewall construction provide a stable edge platform without the aggressive snap of a metal-laminated frontside ski, which is exactly the point on a freestyle-oriented all-mountain twin.

Off-piste it handles cut-up snow and shallow soft layers competently but is too narrow for any meaningful float in deep snow. Riders looking for an everyday resort ski that rewards a playful, hop-and-pop style — rather than ground-contact carving — will get on with it quickly.

The Playmaker 87 uses a Laminated Woodcore with RST Sidewall (Racing Sidewall Technology), fibreglass reinforcement and a sintered high-speed gliding base. The Surf Rocker profile combines tip and tail rocker with camber underfoot. Lengths run 136 / 146 / 156 / 166 / 176 / 182cm with sidecut 121-88-110 at 166cm and a single-ski weight around 1365g at that length — moderate for a twin-tip in this width class. The weight ramps to roughly 1530g at 176cm and Elan does not publish a 182cm weight.

The Playmaker 87 is for resort skiers who want a forgiving daily driver with twin-tip personality — beginners moving past their first ski, intermediates building park skills, and advanced skiers who treat the whole mountain as a playground. Compared to the Armada Arv 88 it is a touch more frontside-biased and slightly less aggressive in soft snow. Against the Head Oblivion 84 it is a hair wider with similar freestyle DNA, and versus the J skis Joyride it is more groomer-oriented and less park-pure.

Pros

• Quick, willing turn initiation on hardpack thanks to the tight radius.
• Surf Rocker tip and tail make pivots, smears and switch landings forgiving.
• Wide length range from 136cm up to 182cm covers small juniors through adults.
• Laminated woodcore gives an honest carving feel without metal-stiff demands.

Cons

• Too narrow for real off-piste float in fresh snow.
• Not the platform for high-speed, edge-locked frontside carving.
• No published weight for the 182cm length.
• Construction is less premium than the wider Playmaker siblings' Tubelite woodcore.

Verdict: A forgiving, playful 87mm twin-tip that excels as a resort all-rounder for skiers who want freestyle personality on the way down the groomer without committing to a dedicated park ski.