The Volkl Revolt 95 is heading into its third season, although the first with the number 95 attached to it. The addition of the number 95 is due to the addition of two other skis that share the Revolt name, the 87 and 85. But we’re talking about the Revolt 95 here. This ski was originally designed and developed alongside Volkl pro skier Ahmet Dadali. Ahmet wanted a ski that would blend performance in the terrain park with the skiing he did around the rest of the mountain: slashing turns in powder, ripping through chopped up snow, and more. It has a 95 mm waist width, a directional sidecut (not symmetrical like some twin tips), and tip and tail rocker. The full wood core is supported by carbon stringers to give it a little more energy and stability. While it’s relatively easy to peg the Revolt 95 as a park ski due to its twin tip shape and the fact that it sits in Volkl’s “Freestyle” collection, its performance around the rest of the mountain is worth noting and is pretty impressive.
For Jeff Neagle the 181 cm Revolt 95 is just about a perfect all mountain ski. Jeff commented that “the Revolt is exactly what I want in my daily driver. It can hold an edge through moderately paced GS turns, but can butter, smear, and loves to play.” Jeff is an ex-competitive slopestyle skier and has spent a lot of time in the terrain park with a lot of different twin tips on his feet. He commented that “the Revolt 95 has a better blend of performance inside and outside of the park compared to just about anything else I’ve ever skied.” Jeff thought it would make a “great all mountain ski for someone with a freestyle background,” and we agree, but we think it could also be good for someone that’s never skied in the terrain park in their life and just want a playful, maneuverable all mountain ski that can still hold up to speed.
Danielle Nichols is an example of someone without a terrain park background that still had a lot of fun on the Revolt 95. She commented that it “wasn’t the best at the tip where the snow was really hard, but as it softened up on the way down this was a super playful, fun ski.” A ski like the Revolt 95 does take a little getting used to for those that don’t often ski twin tips, something that Danielle felt. She did mention, however, that “once you figure out how to get over the front of it, it skis great.”
Mount point is an interesting conversation topic surrounding the Revolt 95. The traditional recommended mount point has been true center, but really only those using the ski in the terrain park should mount their bindings in the dead center of the ski. Those using it for more of an all mountain ski may want to consider moving the bindings back a little bit. We’ve experimented with it a fair amount and fine that 2-3 cm back from true center results in a great feel for those not used to center mounted skis. In a Volkl collection that’s made up of a lot of technologically advanced, carbon or metal skis, the Revolt 95 offers a more traditionally constructed ski that’s much more playful than skis like the Kendo, Mantra, and even the 90Eight.
