[The test results for the Temptation 88 Basalt are from 2016 and 2017; its only changes for 2017 are cosmetic.]

Rossignol’s Temptation 88 Basalt is essentially a Frontside, carving-centric ski with sufficient width to qualify as an All-Mountain East model. Its deep, continuous sidecut doesn’t lop off the tip the way the 7 Series Rossis do, so once the Temptation 88 Basalt is rolled over there’s instant connection to the start of a carved turn.

The Temptation 88 wouldn’t mind spending its life on groomers, but its aim is higher than the terminal intermediate who never leaves this homogenized domain. It takes two scoops of skill to adapt to the Temptation 88’s style, but the reward is performance that maintains its composure as it transitions from the bland security of the groom to the spicy variety of off-piste skiing.

The material that enables the Temptation 88 to navigate broken snow with the same equanimity it displays on corduroy is basalt, the most common mineral in the earth’s crust, which approximates some of the dampening properties in Titanal. For the lightweight woman skier, basalt is all she needs to get more grip on hard snow and grit in the clumpy stuff.