The Navigator 90 borrows the Enforcer tip radius, but substantially shortens the distance from the widest point in the shovel to the forward contact point. In other words, the Navigator is designed to stay more connected to the snow, improving its Frontside performance. Both models are cambered underfoot, but the Navigator uses a square tail that’s turned up only at the very end. This creates a more solid and responsive platform along the full length of the ski.
One way to make a fundamentally strong construction more docile is to rocker it, which reduces the amount of ski that operates on hardpack conditions. Because the ski tip and tail bend away from the snow surface, for there to be ski/snow contact in these areas the snow must rise up to meet them. This makes a ski like the Kästle FX85 HP feel more at home in a patch of day-old crud than it does on an acre of crystal carpet.
The Supernatural 92 gets its unapologetically playful personality from a cambered baseline that gives its mostly glass structure a spring-like quality that pounces turn to turn. There’s just enough metal laid down the ski’s middle to give it more grip on hard snow without dulling its agility. This combination of shape and structure creates a ski that’s surprisingly comfortable whether driven with a feather-light touch or a lead foot.
For 2018 Rossi gave the Temptation 88 the HD treatment, adding its Carbon Alloy Matrix – a weave of carbon, glass and basalt – to the ski, bringing it up to par with its unisex wingman, the Experience 88 HD. This means the new Temptation 88 HD has more bite on hard snow, more energy off the edge and more stability at speed than its earlier incarnation. As was the case with the Experience 88, the HD upgrade raised the performance range of the Temptation 88 by several notches.
Just because a ski has a sidecut suitable for carving doesn’t mean it must be pigeonholed as a groomer-only ski, any more than having a mustache means you’re a cad and a bounder. Presented with a foot of fresh powder, the E 88 HD doesn’t realize it’s not supposed to be particularly good at navigating freshies and dives into the fluff without hesitation or a hiccup. It doesn’t flinch when crossing old tracks and if it gets to go first, all the better.