High-order accurate summation-by-parts (SBP) finite difference (FD) methods constitute efficient numerical methods for simulating large-scale hyperbolic wave propagation problems. Traditional SBP FD operators that approximate first-order spatial derivatives with central-difference stencils often have spurious unresolved numerical wave-modes in their computed solutions. Recently derived high order accurate upwind SBP operators based upwind FD stencils have the potential to suppress these poisonous spurious wave-modes on marginally resolved computational grids. In this paper, we demonstrate that not all high order upwind SBP FD operators are applicable. Numerical dispersion relation analysis shows that odd-order upwind SBP FD operators also support spurious unresolved high-frequencies on marginally resolved meshes. Meanwhile, even-order upwind SBP FD operators (of order 2, 4, 6) do not support spurious unresolved high frequency wave modes and also have better numerical dispersion properties. We discretise the three space dimensional (3D) elastic wave equation on boundary-conforming curvilinear meshes. Using the energy method we prove that the semi-discrete approximation is stable and energy-conserving. We derive a priori error estimate and prove the convergence of the numerical error. Numerical experiments for the 3D elastic wave equation in complex geometries corroborate the theoretical analysis. Numerical simulations of the 3D elastic wave equation in heterogeneous media with complex non-planar free surface topography are given, including numerical simulations of community developed seismological benchmark problems. Computational results show that even-order upwind SBP FD operators are more efficient, robust and less prone to numerical dispersion errors on marginally resolved meshes when compared to the odd-order upwind and traditional SBP FD operators.