Review: 2027 Völkl Revolt 101

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 Revolt 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. While the Revolt line is listed under “freestyle” on the Volkl website, there’s undoubtedly as much influence in the ski design from their park and pipe athletes as there is from freeriders. 

Introduced to the Revolt lineup for the 2025/26 season, the Revolt 101 falls squarely into the directional freeride end of the spectrum. True to its hard-charging Volkl DNA, the Revolt 101 is not a ski that backs down from being driven by strong skiers, but it remains delightfully playful and poppy in a near-perfect balance. 

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2027 Völkl Revolt 101 Specs

• Size skied: 175cm, 182cm
• Lengths available: 168cm, 175cm, 182cm, 189cm
• Sidecut: 133mm – 101mm – 115mm
• Radius: (R1) 24.6 m, (R2) 19m, (R3) 22.4 m (182cm)
• Profile: rocker – camber – rocker
• Weight: 2200g (182cm)

Shape, Flex, 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 freeride 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 has been one of the most popular skis at both our 2025 and 2026 ski tests at Sunshine Village and Grand Targhee. A tester who had skied it the year previously got back on it the first day of the 2026 ski test, and said “it was like putting on a piece of clothing you used to love but hadn’t worn in forever – all the good things about it were just as good as I remembered.” 

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, in the sense that it’s a design you want to drive hard and ski with purpose. Yet, unlike those other skis, the Revolt 101 differs in that its snappy responsiveness and propensity for freeride make it fun. Unsurprisingly, it’s very similar to the larger Revolt 114, but the 101 is much quicker and has markedly better edge grip. 

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. 

“I loved all the ways I could ski it. I think I’d have as much fun railing groomers in Sun Valley as I would skiing it fast with buddies in chalk at Palisades or JHMR,” said one tester. 

The Revolt 101 really hits a hard-to-find sweet spot of remaining playful, poppy, and maneuverable while not getting too floppy on that end of the spectrum, and not too damp, like some other hard-charging freeride designs. 

Comparisons

Völkl presents a very unique ski in the new Revolt 101, especially in the crowded ~100mm underfoot all-mountain category. Earlier, we compared the shape of the tail to the 4FRNT Raven/Nevar, and one tester also noted similarities with the wider version of that ski, the Hoji. While I certainly see those similarities, I’d actually compare it more closely to the 4FRNT Devastator because of the multi radius rocker (or Moment Deathwish, for that matter) and the lack of metal in the ski. The Revolt has a similar balance point to the Devastator, as well as the fully rockered Raven/Hoji, and has a similar feeling stable-yet-playful feel, despite the lack of metal. 

Compared to another popular 100mm underfoot ski, the 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, but might tire out and be too much ski for those who don’t.

In contrast, the Rossignol Sender Free 100, which falls in a similar 100mm underfoot freeride category, the Revolt is much more playful, yet less intuitive. The Sender Free 100’s dampness and twin-rockered shape make it the kind of ski you can get as much out of as you put in. Although a wider range of skiers might like how much the Sender Free 100 takes care of you, even in the weirdest of snow surfaces, those who are willing to adapt to some of the Revolt’s squirreliness might have more fun on the former.  

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

As one of Volkl’s athlete-designed skis, 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. With a ski like this, the more creative, the better. However, even those who aren’t necessarily dreaming of their own NST Ski lines, but are highly capable skiers looking for a fun, stable, daily driver at mountains like Jackson Hole, Crested Butte, Mt Bachelor, or even on the East Coast will still love the Revolt 101.