Wildcat 78 ti review

Overview

The Elan Wildcat 78 ti is the titanium-reinforced version of the narrowest ski in Elan's 2026/27 women's Wildcat line. It shares its chassis with the carbon Wildcat 78 C — a slim 120–124 / 75–77 / 100–106 mm geometry, Elan's Early Rise Rocker and a Dual Woodcore — but swaps the carbon layer for a single Mono Ti sheet and the extruded base for a sintered one. The radius grows from 10.3 m at 130 cm to 15.8 m at 170 cm. It ships as a system ski on the Shift X plate with the EL 9.0 GW Shift binding (DIN 2.5–9), and the six lengths from 130 to 170 cm give it an unusually wide size run for a metal-reinforced women's ski. Elan says it is "built to help developing skiers explore more terrain with less effort".

On-snow performance

On paper this is a piste ski first. A 75–77 mm waist and a tip no wider than 124 mm mean the ski rolls onto its edge with little effort, and the Early Rise Rocker — tip rocker over camber underfoot — should make turn entry gradual rather than grabby. The Mono Ti sheet is what separates it from the carbon 78 C: the construction suggests calmer edge hold on firm, scraped-off groomers and less deflection in afternoon chop. The radii stay moderate in every length (13.6 m at 154 cm, 14.7 m at 162 cm), so the natural turn is a medium carve rather than a slalom-tight arc, and the narrow 100–106 mm tail should be easy to release and skid on a busy slope. The slim footprint limits float: a few centimetres of fresh snow beside the piste is fine, deeper soft snow is not what it was built for.

Construction & specs explained

• Core: Dual Woodcore, Elan's lightweight two-wood core.
• Reinforcement: Mono Ti, a single titanium layer over the core for damping and torsional stiffness.
• Sidewall: RST Sidewall (Racing Sidewall Technology) for direct power transfer to the edge.
• Base: Sintered High Speed Gliding base (the carbon 78 C uses an extruded base).
• Profile: Early Rise Rocker, tip rocker with camber underfoot.
• System: Shift X plate with the EL 9.0 GW Shift binding, DIN 2.5–9.
• Geometry: 120-75-100 mm (130), 120-76-101 mm (138), 121-76-102 mm (146), 122-77-104 mm (154), 123-77-104 mm (162), 124-77-106 mm (170).
• Radius: 10.3 / 11.4 / 12.5 / 13.6 / 14.7 / 15.8 m.
• Weight: Elan publishes no ski weight for this model.
• Men's twin: the 2026/27 Wingman 78 Ti uses the same chassis, adds a 178 cm length (125-78-106 mm, 16.9 m) and a DIN 3–10 binding.

Who it's for & comparisons

The Wildcat 78 ti is for the progressing to confident intermediate woman who skis mostly groomers, wants the quieter feel of a metal layer and may need a short ski: at 130 and 138 cm it also covers smaller, lighter skiers that most adult titanal skis skip. Within Elan's range, the Elan Wildcat 78 C is the softer, cheaper carbon version of the same shape, while the Elan Wildcat 80 Ti moves to the asymmetric Amphibio profile, a Power Woodcore and a much wider 110 mm tail for stronger skiers. The Elan Element 78 Ti w RS uses the same Dual Woodcore, Mono Ti and Early Rise Rocker recipe in a 144–176 cm run. Outside Elan, the Rossignol Nova 8 is the obvious light 75 mm women's carver without metal, the Nordica Wild belle 78 ca is a carbon 78 mm ski with tip and tail rocker and a 138–168 cm run, and the Salomon Stance w 80 is the closest single-titanal system ski, a touch wider and with a 175 cm top length.

Pros, cons and verdict

Pros

• Mono Ti layer and RST sidewall for a calmer, more secure edge than the carbon 78 C.
• Six lengths from 130 to 170 cm, rare for a metal-reinforced women's ski.
• Early Rise Rocker and a 75–77 mm waist for low-effort turn initiation.
• Sintered base and a complete Shift X package with the EL 9.0 GW binding.

Cons

• The Shift X system binding rules out touring and aftermarket binding choices.
• The narrow tail and 77 mm waist limit soft-snow and off-piste use.
• The top length is 170 cm, so taller or heavier skiers may want more ski.
• Elan publishes no weight, so it cannot be compared on paper with lighter rivals.

Verdict: A narrow, friendly women's piste ski with a titanium layer and an unusually wide size range. Choose it if you want the security of metal in a short or mid-length carving ski; look at the Wildcat 80 Ti if you want the Amphibio shape and a wider tail.