Wherever Rossi has applied the “HD” treatment, the ski in question receives an infusion of precision. If the HD suffix were replaced with “PED,” it would be more accurate but pose potential for a PR nightmare.

What the HD stands for is the addition of Rossi’s exclusive Carbon Alloy Matrix, intertwined fibers of carbon, glass and basalt in a plaid pattern. It makes a ski like the Temptation 84 more resistant to twist, so it can hold a better edge on firm, groomed surfaces. But while the Carbon Alloy Matrix gives the ski more bite, it hasn’t altered its essentially go-along-to-get-along nature.

Rossi declines its Experience/Temptation series, which is marketing babble for presenting a hierarchy driven by a relationship between price and performance. The Temptation 84 HD is a step off the pinnacle of the women’s product pyramid, so it isn’t geared to impress experts but to coddle intermediates. The un-tapered sidecut is made to maintain continuous edge contact, the Grail of on-trail technique.

With its new HD embellishment, the Temptation 84 has the stuffing to withstand the buffeting inherent in off-trail travel, but it still prefers to engage its tidy, 13m sidecut (162cm) on more consistent terrain. A lover of slow, unhurried turns that control speed by staying on edge, the Rossi Temptation 84 HD is just right for the skier who could use a little help in the skills department but whose ambitions don’t include conquering every run on the trail map.

The MSRP cited above applies to the Temptation 84 HD if flat (without a system interface); it’s also available with an integrated Look Xpress 11 binding ($800).