IMO, it's down to the character of the trails you're riding.
Where I'm at, and the riding that I do, it's very common with short, sharp "humps" along the track.
Too small to be called climbs, too big to be jumps. Longer cranks makes it easier to simply muscle past these instead of downshifting.
It's not ride-stoppingly important, but there is a difference.
I too have gone to shorter cranks for a more knee-friendly pedalling style, and I manage.
There are other ways around. If you're familiar with the track, you can either accept to shift a little more frequently or try to carry a little more momentum into the hump to get over.