Athlete-driven big-mountain skis.
The new Volkl Revolt 114 fills a gap in Volkl’s athlete-driven collection of all-mountain freestyle and freeride skis. With new art each year, freeride-y shapes, and a slew of professional skiers throwing down on them, the Revolt series has carved out a niche as one of those culty, skier-favorite lines. Slotting into the series between the freestyle-ish Revolt 104 and powder-hawking Revolt 121, the new 114 does more than just occupy a waist width. It aims to be the most badass ski in the series.
Volkl Revolt 114 Review: Field Notes
If you see the Revolt 114 alongside the existing Revolt 96, 104, and 121, you’ll notice pretty quickly that this is more than a carbon copy with new dimensions.
Volkl aimed to make the 114 more chargey in big-mountain terrain than its narrower and wider brothers. How? They beefed up the ski and stiffened the flex pattern through the tips and tails. They gave it a more directional shape, with notably narrower and squared-off tails. There’s also less tail splay here versus other Revolts, making the Revolt 114 look less like a freestyle ski. Deep rocker lines and taper balance out the look, giving the skis a clear bent for smooth surfing and smearing.
Specs? One jumped out at me when I first met the Revolt 114. It weighs in around 2250 grams per ski in the 177 size, making it heavier than the wider verison, the Revolt 121. That’s worth noting because that 121 does not feel light underfoot. Rather, it feels stout in the body and maneuverable in the extremities. So adding weight doubles down on Volkl’s goal of targeting the Revolt 114 at big-mountain rippers.
The Revolt 114 also gets Volkl’s now-ubiquitous 3D Radius Sidecut, a design flourish that gives skis three different turning radii (front, center, back), allowing them to flow smoothly between all shapes and sizes of turns (and require less input). It’s a piece of tech that seems like a marketing gimmick but has proven to make a big difference on snow in narrower models like the Mantra M6, Kendo 88, Secret 102, etc. While the Revolt 114 mirrors the sidecut radius of the Revolt 121 underfoot, it runs longer in the tips and tails. Again: More directional, more aggressive. The recommended mount point also moves back versus the 121, at about -8 cm from true center (with a “team” mount line at -7 cm).
So those are the chops, and that’s what Volkl’s going for. Let’s go to snow. For reference, I took the Revolt 114 to snow at Copper, Crested Butte, and Loveland. I’m 5’7″/163 lbs, and I skied the 177cm and 184cm sizes.
Groomers
If you’ve read other reviews I’ve written, like this one for the 2024 Rossignol Sender Free 110, you’ll know that I’m one of those nutjobs who enjoys carving wide skis on groomers. In my defense, you kind of have to be to include groomer performance in reviews of big-mountain freeride skis.
Compared to most other skis in this category, the Revolt 114 hauls down groomed runs, whether they’re soft or firm, and inspires aggressive carving. It takes more input to tip these skis on edge, but when you do, you notice quite a lot of power and torsional rigidity. You also notice very little chatter if any, which is unique for a powder-oriented freeride ski and a testament to the skis’ consistently stiff flex pattern. Making long, GS-style carves, you want to open things up and roll at Mach 5. Slowing things down, you’re thankful that Volkl brought 3D Radius Sidecut to the Revolt 114 to make sure they can chill out when you want to take your foot off the gas. That’s specifically true if you ski these true to your normal size rather than sizing up (more on that later).
One thing you don’t notice? Rebound. The Revolt 114s feature low camber slung between deep rocker lines, but they feel damp, planted, and not particularly lively. Rather than energetic carves, you get more of a tip-and-go style. I, for one, enjoy that predictability and stability. I may not be hooting and hollering carving these things back to the chairlift, but I’m certainly not going over the handlebars.
Bumps and Trees
In tighter places, the Revolt 114 will make both friends and enemies. It’s the kind of ski that gives back what you put in. If you ski forward in your boots, attacking the fall line, and push it hard, you will get a ski that can smear, skid, pivot, and drift in all the places you want it to. And it will feel sturdier and most supportive than most. If you sit back, the skis will run away from you (ie, they’re not very forgiving).
That point brings up a key part of skiing the Revolt 114: sizing. While we frequently recommend sizing up in wider, more rockered skis, I would actually recommend most people ski the Revolt 114 true to their usual ski size. I say that after taking both the 184 cm (long end of my size range) and 177 cm (short-ish end of my range) down steeps and trees in both powder and crunchy snow. While the 184 felt badass making long, fast turns in wide-open places, it got clunky in tighter ones. On the other hand, the 177 drifted corners and sliced through alleys without compromising stability. Those relatively stiff tips allow you to ski aggressively, pushing the shovels, without feeling like you’re overpowering the ski or losing stability.
The Revolt shined for me sneaking through chutes and tree shots off of Peel at Crested Butte in about 10 inches of fresh and cut-up snow. They were plenty maneuverable when I stayed on them and were a blast to slide and drift at high speeds down steep lines. That’s thanks to how planted they feel. Sometimes you get a ski that feels planted but doesn’t want to smear or release. And vice versa. The Revolt 114 blends that sturdy feel with enough release-ability to keep freeride skiers happy. While I wouldn’t call it “quick,” it’s plenty capable in tight places, as long as it gets enough input from you, the skier. Again…this is a pretty heavy ski.
Powder and Mixed Snow
With a lot of skis in this category, the refrain sounds something like this: “Fun in soft snow, but hold on tight if you’re skiing fast through cut up chop.” That’s not the case with the Revolt 114. The stout flex pattern, long sidecut, and heft keep these skis planted even if you’re trying to go Mach-Looney down a back bowl at 2 p.m. The only things that may slow you down are your inner demons.
In powder, the Revolt 114 floats and tracks well, and its shape keeps things smooth if that powder forms a wind-skin or slight crust. Some people love the feathery feeling of lightweight skis (especially with soft/light tips) in powder. You won’t get that here, just like you won’t get a ton of rebound or pop. But you will get a smooth-skiing boat with a high speed limit, slash-ability, and plenty of powder surf.
And, if you find yourself in the air often, you’ll find a stompy ski in the Revolt 114. People who want to get max playfulness out of the ski should consider mounting it at +1 from recommended (on that “team” line). Whether you do that or not, the heft under your feet and those stout tails will inspire confidence on landings.
Downside
Following its early release and the usual bevvy of ski tests late in the 2022-2023 season, the Revolt 114 stoked fires. Some people loved it, some people pined for the other Revolts.
As far as I can tell, the folks who won’t like the Revolt 114 are the ones who want a freeride ski that feels lighter and more playful. They might think the skis’ dampness and sturdy platform give it a dead feeling. Or they may just want to avoid a ski in this category with so much heft. Skis with mass (especially through the tips) can feel clunky, especially in bumps, chutes, and trees. And while the Revolt 114 does maneuver and drift, I can see how some types of skiers would wish for something more lively.
Bottom Line
Once I put down enough runs on the Revolt 114 and took the 177 down some puckery steeps, these shined. Their mix of sturdiness with a drifty shape and rocker profile is actually pretty unique on the market in 2023. So as somebody who likes to attack the fall line with a directional style while also airing, slashing, and playing around from time to time, I got along well with the Revolt 114. In fact, it’s one of my favorite new skis for 2023-2024.
That said, it’s also not for everyone. Some other skis in this category are more balanced and accessible overall and probably better matches for a wider range of skiers. The new Rossignol Sender Free 110 and Salomon QST Blank come to mind. Not everyone wants a freeride ski that wants to be pushed. But for freeride skiers who want to prioritize that planted, chargey feel and ski emphatically, the Revolt 114 should be at the top of the list.
