Professional Photo Credits: https://www.instagram.com/_mattstacy/

Other Miscellaneous Clips/pics: @wameron , Charlay, Jbo, Otto, Jay, Jaxton

Prologue:

Recently, I read a nice article called, “Give me the Weird” by @iang lamenting how mainstream ski companies are too scared to make a ski that doesn’t appeal to everyone. It makes sense: the ski that sells is the all-mountain 95-105 mm underfoot ski that will grant the buyer the magical ability to carve an icy groomer like Mikaela Shiffrin and ski an Alaskan face the very next day like Markus Eder. As a result, all ski companies have a ski just like that in their lineup, which is usually their best seller. In fact, these all-mountain creations have gotten so good, many companies are starting to realize that they don’t need to make other types of skis. Why force people to make a difficult choice between many skis when one option will do just fine for everyone? Finally, we will achieve a truly utopian society, where everyone skis the same ski and the people are content. Who could possibly be unhappy with that future?

Those of us who know the truth! The all-mountain ski that does everything you want and more doesn’t exist! It is a jack of all trades, master of none. We remember a time when the ski industry wanted to create the next ‘So crazy, it just might work!’ idea. We will not stand for this sameness to permeate our lives! We shall Revolt!

Back in 2020, Volkl released the Revolt 104 and the Revolt 121. Athletes were involved in a major way during the design process with Volkl’s 'built together' program. The result was innovative, fresh, and fun to ski! And yet the distance between the two Revolt options in terms of waist width kept us waiting for something to come along in between. 3 years down the line, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for Volkl to put together a similar design to both of those skis to split the difference in size. Instead, someone at Volkl said, “No, we’re not gonna do that, let’s stay ahead of the curve." They took their time, worked with their big-mountain athletes (Ian Macintosh, Johnny Collinson, Colter Hinchliffe, Markus Eder, Paddy Graham, Kye Petersen, to name a few), and filled a void in today’s ski market. Enter the Revolt 114.

Ski Stats:

Ski: Volkl Revolt 114 23/24 Model

Stated Length: 191 cm

Straight Tape Measure Pull: 190.4 cm

Stated Weight: 2251 grams/ski at 177 cm length

Measured Weight: 2493 & 2548 grams/ski at 191 cm length

Shape: 146-114-128

Sidecut: 3D Radius (Will explain more later) 28m/21m/25m

Mount Point: +2 cm from team recommended line (-5 cm from true center)

Binding: STH2 16

Days Skied: 28

Reviewer Information:

Height/weight: 6’4 190 lbs

Age: 26

Favorite Burger topping: Caramelized Onions

Skier Ability: While I may not be the best skier on the mountain, I am not a slouch, I go pretty fast and take some chances.

Review Location: Snowbird, Utah

Conditions Skied: Deep Powder, Mid Depth Powder, Shallow Powder, Dense Powder (Did I mention powder?) Icy Springtime Hardpack, Spring Corn, Windbuff,

Other Skis Used Recently: Armada Magic J; Sego Comp 110; Head Oblivion 94

Shape/Flex/Construction:

My first thought when I picked up the cardboard box these skis came in was, “These must have bindings on them somehow.” This was not the case. That should have given me an idea as to how beefy these skis were going to be. When I looked at them, the first comparison I made was to my Fatypus D Sender, and the Faction Dictator 4.0. Both of these are long, stiff options with a wide shovel made for charging, but the Revolt 114 is wider than both of those through the shovel at 146 mm. If you told me to rate the stiffness of the Revolt 114, I’d give it an 8.5 in the shovel, 10 underfoot, and a 9.25 through the tail. Of all the production skis that I have ridden, The Revolt 114 is the stiffest. Skis like this, and even stiffer options used to be more popular. These were your Faction 13, Moment Garbones, and Whitedot Ragnarok: heavy, stiff skis designed to charge big lines and stomp cliffs. Eventually, these types of skis fell out of style as freeride morphed into a more freestyle-based competition where competitors wanted something they could throw tricks on more comfortably.

The difference between those big, badass freeride skis of old, and the Revolt 114 is the springiness and life present in the latter. As it happens, when you dial up the stiffness of a ski to 11, it becomes a dead plank of wood. Sure, that stiffness provides incredible stability, but it loses that fun factor that I and many others enjoy in skis. The Revolt 114 is a big, heavy ski, but the multilayer wood core and smooth flex profile keep the fun factor present. This is precisely what was lacking in other big mountain tools, leading to much of the industry moving away from having that type of ski in their lineup.

On Snow Performance:

Groomers:

One of the sexiest parts of having a bigger, stiffer ski is going fast and laying railroad tracks down groomers. It came as no surprise to me that Volkl’s factory tune is absolutely dialed; the edges were sharp and the bases were fast. Skiing groomers on the Revolt 114 feels great. No, you will not suddenly possess the ability to make a slalom turn, but the ski actually has a fairly short effective edge for its width and size, which means it surprises you by turning more quickly than you’d expect compared to other big mountain skis. It won't give you tons of rebound out of a turn, but I wouldn’t call it dead either. Besides, if this ski gave you a lot of pop out of turns, that would be a drawback for where the ski really finds itself at home in the big mountain. I am also a huge fan of stiff skis on groomers because of how comfortable they feel at high speeds, and the Revolt 114 is the top dog I’ve skied in this regard.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1075772/Regulator-Revolt-114Volkl has been touting their 3D turn radius on this ski and others in their lineup. Volkl describes the Revolt 114 as having a tight radius underfoot, with longer, separate radii at the tip and tail. I’ve been on wide skis before where carving was not an intuitive feeling. This was the exact opposite. With a fresh tune, I can honestly say that the Revolt 114 seemed to meld with my mind. Tight turns, wide turns, it didn’t matter so long as I stayed in a good, aggressive skiing position. I didn’t really have to think about where my turn might take me, or worry about the ski suddenly hooking on me. There was a distinctive feeling of difference when I focused on pressuring the middle part of the ski to get to that tight radius Volkl talks about. As for a third radius including the tail specifically, I don’t quite understand that. As soon as I get anywhere close to backseat on the Revolt 114, it tells me, “WHOAH THERE! You won’t try that again anytime soon, bucko!”

Mixed Conditions/Bumps/Trees/Variable Terrain:

This is usually the section where I talk about how well a ski handles in terrain that forces you to slow down, i.e. trees, big moguls, and low visibility. The Revolt 114 does not like to be skied slowly. It prefers to be driven at pace and will give you all the support you need to do so. If I could describe a specific time I would not reach for the Revolt 114, it would be for tight tree skiing in poor light, in heavy, wet snow at the end of a long day. It’s pretty rare that I find myself in these particular conditions at Snowbird, but one tree run like this was enough to make me remember it for a long time afterward. The Revolt 114 is a hard ski to pivot at slow speeds and is not forgiving when you get into the backseat. I attribute this entirely to the flat tail. The front of the ski is actually fairly easy to move back and forth, but the flat tail hangs up in heavy wet snow. However, the benefits of that flat tail are fantastic!

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1075792/Lower-Silver-Fox-with-WillIf you’re looking for the ski to give you awesome stability in the most heinous conditions without having it be a dead plank, this is that ski. Did it snow 3 inches over coral reef hardpack and everyone else is getting tossed around like a 2-year-old in a bouncy house full of rambunctious teenagers? No problem, you’ve got the Revolt 114 under you to smooth out the ride. Bumpy runout where your landing wasn’t quite perfect? Again, the Revolt 114 eats that for breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. It is an unsinkable, unstoppable force in any kind of variable terrain, the likes of which I have never before skied. It is addictive for the type of skiing I like to do. I can honestly say it has made me a better skier because of its prowess to drive through any variable, chopped-up snow.

Steeps/Cliffs:

The first day I got these skis, it was apparent to me that I was looking at a big mountain tool. I love the Revolt 114 for steep skiing where you can open up the throttle. When it comes to steep skiing in anything but a giant mogul field, you’ll usually find me making long, sweeping turns to carry my speed before I straight-line the bottom of whatever I’ve skied. For this style of steep skiing, the Revolt 114 is hands down the best ski I have been on. Provided you can stay in control and drive the ski through the shovel, it has no speed limit that I’ve found. It is an indescribable joy to lay the edge down and make a huge GS turn on a steep, wind-buffed face.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1076016/VID-172480523-042341-959-mp4

The ski has a pretty large amount of tip rocker in the front, which is excellent for keeping you on top of any type of snow that you encounter. The flat tail gives extra edge hold when the ski is coming around, but be aware that it will punish you if you find yourself hanging on by the tails in a backseat stance. That said, this fear of getting backseat has made me improve my skiing to the point where I rarely find myself in the backseat anymore, and I feel confident it would do the same for others.

The other amazing thing about stability in a ski like this is how much you can trust the shovel to support you on heavy landings. I find myself going bigger than I ever have off of my small-medium cliffs, drops and jumps because I know I can stomp a 4-point landing with confidence in just about anything. No more wondering if I might punch front on a landing and go tumbling over the front of my skis, I know the Revolt 114 will support me, and I can stomp landings as hard as I want to. For anyone looking for a ski to bring them to the next level on cliff drops, please try this ski. It is incredible how much more confident I have become in my landings during my time on the Revolt 114.

Powder/Float:

During the 22/23 season we were utterly spoiled in Utah with storm after storm after storm. Usually, I’d be taking out my Armada Magic J for any big powder day, since it’s designed particularly for powder. However, when I looked at the Revolt 114, my first thought was, “This is going to be amazing in the powder.” I was mostly right on that. The widest point of this ski measures 146 mm in the shovel, while the tail measures 128 mm. This design is clearly meant to give the Revolt 114 excellent float. On my 2nd day skiing it, I was able to take it into a beautiful, nearly untracked zone with fresh powder. This clip says it better than I can write it.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1066703/Snowbird-Pow-Shredding-in-the-bookendsMaybe the Revolt 114 doesn’t float me up quite as quickly as my Magic J which measures in at 127 mm through the waist and 150 mm through the shovel, but I noticed something else after skiing the Magic J again. The stiffness of the Revolt 114 allows me to drive it through the shovels even in powder, which I hadn’t felt even on the Magic J. Yes, the Magic J is surfier compared to the Revolt 114, and its design is just better for pivoting in powder, but it is a softer ski. The Revolt 114 may not be a pure powder tool that can pivot on a dime(as observed by crash in the video above when I tried to slash), but I think it’s unfair to expect that because the Revolt 121 fills that spot in Volkl’s lineup. The Revolt 114 is great in powder, and it outperforms the Magic J in any other condition. I'm starting to enjoy it even more than my Magic J in powder because of its stiffness and stability which fits my skiing style better. I definitely didn’t expect that, so if you’re worried about it not being good enough in powder, don’t be. It’s awesome!

Terrain Park Performance:

Seriously, there are way better options in Volkl’s lineup for a park ski, namely any of the Revolt line between 84 and 96. I am not a park skier, but I know enough about park skis to say these would be miserable to try to learn tricks on, and sacrilege to ski on rails.

Rare Volkl 114 Park clip:

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1076017/VID-161700506-200229-572-mp4

Freestyle:

Though this may not be a park ski, many here do enjoy throwing tricks outside the park. I am not the best freestyle skier, but once in a blue moon, I throw backflips and 180s. The Revolt 114 can be moved around in the air, but it’s not easy. I’ve seen Ross Tester launch massive 360s with this ski, so I know it can be done, but if you’re looking for a ski to learn more freestyle tricks on, I wouldn’t recommend the Revolt 114. If however, you feel confident in your bag of tricks and want to have better landing stability, this ski will be great for you. Riding switch on the Revolt 114 works just okay. It will do it, but you won’t love it. I have yet to catch the almost flat tail when I do switch 180s, but it definitely scares me a bit hitting transitions to cat tracks going switch. This is not a ski you can ride switch in mixed conditions without worrying about catching a bump on the tails and soaring backward over your heelpieces. It will work, but there are better options for riding switch in the Revolt line if that’s what you want, like the Revolt 104 and 121.

Durability:

The Revolt 114 is one tough beefcake of a ski with a full sidewall construction. We’ve had the best snow year in history at Snowbird, but I’ve still managed to clip some rocks and branches with it. The bases are P-tex 3000 which is a hard, sintered material and has performed admirably. After 30 days of skiing on it, I have one small scratch from landing on a rock, but apart from that, they’re spotless. Even the top sheets don’t seem to chip very much. Typically, my biggest concern with riding a newly released ski is durability, but I wouldn’t worry about that here. As far as I know, the Volkl athletes I’ve seen riding the Revolt 114 haven’t had any major ski blow ups either, which is far more telling than anything I can observe in the months I’ve skied it.

One thing to note, when mounting this ski, ask for extra wood glue from the shop on the mount. As durable as the ski itself is, the Revolt 114 doesn’t have a mount plate of any kind, and for the type of skier buying this, you want to make sure your bindings are attached firmly to the ski.

Conclusion:

I’d recommend this ski to anyone looking to improve their abilities off-piste, and are curious about trying something more directional, a Di-curious person if you will. What scared me about directional skis was the thought that they might not be as fun to ride. But what makes a ski fun? The answer is different for everyone, which is why we still have companies making new and different skis, like the Revolt 114.

The most important thing about any ski is that you enjoy skiing it, but I think there’s a universal truth that we’d all like to improve our skiing. Sure, cruising around is fun, but my most transcendent ski memories are of progression and breaking through mental and physical barriers. Sometimes that comes from landing a new trick, or finally skiing that scary line you’ve been looking at for years. Other times, it’s when you realize that you have become a stronger, more technically proficient skier after shredding a lap you’ve done a million times before. That feeling of accomplishment is addictive, and I’ve struggled to feel that as my body starts to get a little more worn down compared to when I was 19 and made of rubber. As soon as I got on the Revolt 114, that feeling came back with a vengeance.

These clips are from my 2nd day on the Revolt 114. It was a sunny afternoon where I felt like the old dog at 26, skiing with a bunch of young rippers who were going big off every feature all day. I'd taken it easy up to this point mostly filming them, and finally decided it was time to join in on the action and scare myself a little too.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1075780/VID-161661005-085916-803-1-mp4https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1075783/VID-161681024-050342-299-mp4I am certain that the Revolt 114 has helped me improve my skiing ability more than any other ski. This isn’t a ski I’d recommend for someone looking for a surfy, easy going ride. It wants to be driven through the shovel, and if you’re willing to give it a shot, it will reward you. After a month and a half on the Revolt 114, I was faster, stronger and skiing better than I ever had before. You become a better skier by learning to drive the Revolt 114, and you feel more confident in your skiing through any terrain as a result.

Is it work? Of course. Is it worth it? 1000% yes.

TTFN!

-BigPurp