Völkl adds to the athlete-designed Revolt series with a new mini freeride ski.

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Brands big and small like to tout the fact that their skis are athlete designed, driven, inspired, or whatever marketing term is in vogue at the moment. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it does run the risk of pigeonholing that ski’s design into the quirks and nuances of a particular athlete’s skiing style. For the average skier, that can make said ski unapproachable, or worse–completely unusable. Doing away with the standard single pro-model philosophy that has permeated skiing since the old days, Völkl decided to dedicate an entire line of skis to their freeski athletes, offering six ski models straight from the collective minds of the German brand’s extremely diverse roster of freeride and freestyle ski athletes. They call it “built together,” we call it “smart ski design.”

For the last few years, the line has been split between skis that lean either towards a more directional freeride vibe, or a twin-tip freestyle flair, with all models easily crossing those boundaries. This year, Völkl adds a new ski to the lineup, the fresh Revolt 101, which falls squarely into the directional freeride end of the spectrum. It blends classic Völkl power (drive these as hard as you dare) with a playful and poppy feel that feels right at home in just about any condition short of deep powder.

Völkl Revolt 101 Specs

• Size skied: 189cm
• Lengths available: 168cm, 175cm, 182cm, 189cm
• Sidecut: 133mm – 101mm – 115mm
• Radius: (R1) 27.0 m, (R2) 21.2 m, (R3) 25.4 m
• Profile: rocker – camber – rocker
• Weight: 2300g (189cm)

Shape, Flex and Construction

Historically, the Revolt line has been split between softer (comparatively, they’re still Völkls) twin tip freestyle skis and stiff, powerful directional freeride chargers built to take home FWT medals and slay big mountains lines for the movies. The Revolt 101 takes the guts of the big mountain comp charging Revolt 114 and shrinks it into a package better suited for everyday resort use, especially for those of us without daily access to deep snow. 

The Revolt 101’s shape is a bit unorthodox, especially when it comes to skis designed mostly to rip hardpack. The pintail design stands out immediately, almost reminiscent of the 4FRNT Nevar or Raven–two skis that use that design greatly to their advantage. Both the tip and tail of the ski feature a ton of taper, and some very long and deep rocker lines. The sidecut also changes from tip to tail, with much longer radii at the front and back than underfoot. In reality, everything about the shape is reminiscent of a powder ski–save the 101mm waist width.

Inside, there’s Völkl’s Multi-Layer Wood Core, paired with full-length sidewall construction–this is taken directly from their race skis. The center of the core features a flexible, lighter wood, surrounded by hardwood that then transitions to the sidewalls and edges, giving more direct power transmission, improved edge grip and better durability. 

Speaking of durability, the Germans added a small detail they call “mini-cap,” essentially a small curve where the topsheets transitions to the sidewall that allows for more surface area at this high-stress point. This prevents chipping and cosmetic topsheet damage. Unlike most other hard-charging Völkls, there’s no metal inside this ski, with Völkl instead relying on the wood core for damping and shock absorption.  

From a mounting perspective, we’d suggest staying with the athlete-recommended line printed on the topsheet. These aren’t really meant to be park skis, and to get the full experience and power out of the Revolt 101, the slightly rearward stance really helps. 

One note is that the pronounced taper and rocker actually make the ski feel quite short, so don’t hesitate to go up a size if you fall in between. 

On-Snow Performance 

It should be noted that the Revolt 101 stood out as perhaps the most coveted ski at our 2025 ski test at Sunshine Village. Testers could not get enough of it. 

On piste, the Revolt 101 is a high-speed powerhouse. It feels akin to a classic Völkl on-piste ski, like the Mantra M7 or even the Race Tiger, but unlike those, I’d consider it to be actually fun. Unsurprisingly, it’s very similar to the larger Revolt 114, but the 101 is much quicker and has markedly better edge grip. One tester says, “This ski wants to carve. It just wanted to get and stay on edge in aggressive, high angle turns. It had a really nice rebound in the turn and felt really engaged, supportive and lively on edge. Sharp and precise.”

Take it into ungroomed snow, and it really comes alive, catering to both front-of-the-boot chargers and more centered-stance skiers. Thanks to those deep rocker lines and the substantial tip and tail taper, the Revolt 101 breaks free from turns easily to vary up turn shapes, but doesn’t feel too “loose.” The supportive flex underfoot provides easy pivoting and quick maneuvering in that terrain, but it’s a ski that wants to be finessed rather than charge, using its friendly swing weight to unweight and airplane turn over bumps into the next turn, rather than plow through or slash. 

“On a steeper, bumped-up groomer with big rollers and changes in pitch which had started to corn up it was an absolute riot–I was having so much fun I ended up going scarily fast as I willingly (but perhaps recklessly) gave in to the fall line, flying over the steep rollers into some pretty soft but pretty bumpy sections. This ski did not waver though,” the tester adds.

Another tester says, “Hands down the best new 100mm-waisted ski of the season and will be for a while. I loved the Revolt 114 and it takes that shape and puts it into a more versatile daily driver weapon. The sidewall thickness on this thing is so thick for so long which is where the stiffness comes from and even in the shorter length it is a stomping machine! I skied through both 20cm of pow and rock hard groomers and this thing out performed through it all! I’ll for sure be adding a pair of these to my quiver. It’s a freerider’s dream resort charger.”

Comparisons 

Völkl presents a very unique ski in the new Revolt 101, especially in the crowded ~100mm underfoot all-mountain category. For comparison’s sake, the 101 has more or less the same shape as the Revolt 114–this is the hardpack version of that powder ski.

Compared to the new Salomon QST 100, the Revolt is much stiffer and more powerful, but lacks a lot of the playfulness and relaxed vibe from the QST. The Revolt will better cater to more aggressive skiers and those who come from a race background, but might tire out and be too much ski for those who don’t.

Side by side with the Blizzard Rustler 10, there’s many more similarities. Both are meant for hard-charging resort skiers, but the Revolt feels more responsive and precise, while the Rustler is a bit softer and more playful. Again, the Rustler might be a better choice for those looking for a bit more relaxed of a ski.

Finally, the Revolt 101 is a far better realized ski than Head’s new Kore 106Ti, though they’re designed for similar uses. While the Kore may offer slightly better float in soft snow, the Revolt is more versatile and simultaneously manages to offer better hard-snow and soft-snow performance and user friendliness.

What type of skier is the Völkl Revolt 101 best for? 

As the newest member to Völkl’s athlete-designed Revolt line, it’s no surprise that the Revolt 101 will make skiers who want to channel their inner Markus Eder or Ross Tester very happy. It’s an extremely high-performance freeride ski that will make thin early season conditions, mid-season windbuff, and otherwise crummy snow very fun, encouraging high speeds, risky line choices, and big air. 

I’m excited to mount a pair of these up as a resort daily driver here in Jackson Hole this year, and know that it would make freeride skiers in places like Crested Butte, Arapahoe Basin, Mammoth, or even on the East Coast very happy.