Rossignol Temptation 88 Review

For the 15-16 season the Rossignol Temptation 88 keeps the same technology, dimensions, and price from the 14-15 ski season. The only update that has taken place is a new graphic change, making our review as relevant as the first day that we published it. We prefer the new eye catching colors of the new graphics.

Check out a side-by-side comparison below, with the 15-16 model shown on the left and the 14-15 version pictured on the right.

The Temptation 88 really shines on-piste and is great fun to carve snappy, quick turns. It is an excellent pick for a skier who wants to spend the majority of her time ripping up the groomers at high speeds, but who also wants the ability to ski anywhere in any condition when she chooses to venture off the trails. Our ski school instructor tester thought this ski was the bee's knees, and would have taken it home on the spot if she had the chance!

Performance Comparison

Stability at Speed

This ski likes to go fast and make turns. The Temptation 88 is one of the most stable skis in this review. It likes to rail turns at high speeds and has stable edge hold. Not only can it hold an edge in any condition on any slope, but is damp enough that they make almost no chatter on steep chalky, chunky-ness. Our testers love how confident they feel blasting down groomers as fast as they can muster with this model, even on very steep, firm slopes. The tip has pronounced rocker, but we noticed no flopping at all. We noticed most skis in this review had some tip flopping at speed, especially the Armada ARVW. The Temptations are nice and stiff, so a strong skier will love the feedback she gets when it is pressured.

Carving Performance

This Rossignol earned a top score in this category. With its 88mm waist and dramatic sidecut, the Temptation 88 LOVES to carve, and we love carving on this ski. It is fun and responsive. You can just tip it on its edge and it will do the rest of the work for you, guiding you through the turn. We were surprised that Rossignol claims it has a 17M turn radius, it feels like its turns can be quite tight and snappy compared to other skis like the 4FRNT Madonna that has a similar turn radius. It has a decent amount of camber underfoot and a strong skier can pressure it into quite the quick turn.

The Temptation is happiest when holding an edge, and does so with grace and power. It has excellent edge hold, is stiff and stable, and can really rail into turns on-piste and in a variety of conditions. This Rossignol is not meant as a smearing ski. Along with the Head Great Joy, the Temptation has the quickest edge-to-edge transfer in this review. This was one of our tester's favorite things about this ski. It pings from one edge to the next with incredible fluidity. We love the pop sensation when it is pressured at speed. This rebound effect can be difficult to stay on top of for a more intermediate skier, and may take more work for her in tight turns. If you prefer to spend most of your time carving up the corduroy you'll love this set up.

Powder Performance

The Temptation handles well on anything hard packed, but fell short in soft powder snow. In fresh powder, the Temptation 88 wants to submarine under the snow instead of allowing you to bounce out of it and stay on top. Its narrow waist and extreme shape make this ski want to grip and carve something, and it seems as if it is trying to ski the firm snow under the soft stuff. It has some rocker and fat tips, which will give you some amount of float, but it is a heavy, stiff ski that does not do well in the deep. The Temptation falls short in this arena, and is not recommended if you want a ski for fresh tracks. We have a lot of fun skiing both the Dynastar Cham 2.0 97 - Women's and the K2 Fulluvit 98TI in deep fresh snow and these are great choices for the lady skier who wants to spend more time in search of coldsmoke rather than corduroy.

Crud Performance

The Temptation does moderately well in the crud due to its stiffness and stability. It is able to plow right through everything as long as it is not too deep. It is not as responsive off-piste, and our testers did not feel as confident with it making turns in the steeps. It feels a bit catchy in soft snow, and didn't make skiing these conditions very much fun.

This Rossignol is great in anything firm or icy, and likes to hold on in the turns. It can bust through most firm, variable conditions, is decent in steep moguls that are icy and hard, and grips the ice when we ask it to. An advanced to expert skier will be able to drive this ski through hard snow and feel a smooth ride. Unfortunately, when you get it in softer snow it is a little trickier to drive.

Playfulness

For women who spend the majority of their time on-piste, this ski feels extremely playful. Its quick edge-to-edge transfer makes turning extremely fun, and our testers love skiing it on the groomers. The Temptation 88 is so springy in the turns it made one of our testers giggle out loud the first few time she skied them. We also have a lot of fun skiing them in moguled terrain. But, if you like to get your kicks in the soft snow and powder, we would suggest something like the K2 Fulluvit or the Blizzard Samba, that is a lot more fun to ride in variable conditions over the Temptation.

Bumps Skiing Performance

If we had to choose a winner in the bumps category out of all the all-mountain skis we tested, the Temptation 88 would win. With their edge to edge quickness and eagerness to turn, along with stable edge hold, these would be our choice to tackle the moguls in firm or soft conditions.

Best Application

This is the ski for a woman who prefers making round turns on groomed runs most of the time. If you really love making snappy, tight turns and ski predominantly on the trails — but want to occasionally venture off the trails to new terrain, the Temptation 88 could be a great choice. If you prefer powder skiing and steep off-piste runs, we'd recommend something like the Atomic Vantage 95 C - Women's that is a little more versatile for on and off-piste skiing. Some of our testers found it hooky in steeper off-piste terrain, but generally it is very easy to turn and will do its thing as soon as you get it on edge. If you would rather have a ski to take you everywhere on the mountain, the most versatile and stable ski we tested was the Volkl Aura.

We think this would be a great ski for someone who wants to step up from the frontside ski category to a ski that can handle itself in more variable terrain and conditions, because it has a combination of rocker and camber. Although it has some rocker, this ski is more true to length and feels like you are using all of the ski more so than other rockered skis in this review, like the Dynastar Cham 2.0 that skis short because of more exaggerated rocker. If you like to spend the majority of your time on groomed trails, but want a ski that will handle itself when you decide to duck into the trees or go out on a powder day, the Temptation 88 is for you.

Value

The Rossignol Temptation 88 is a good value at $650, Rossignol did not raise the pricetag this year when many other manufacturers did. We think that Rossignol makes quality products and this ski is no exception. This pair is $50 less expensive than the comparable Nordica Wild Belle, and we think it is more durable and that you will be able to have the Temptation in your quiver for a long time.

The Rossignol Temptation 88 seems to be built to last. It has a very durable base — one of our testers ran over a rock that was hidden in the fresh snow and was afraid to look at what it had done to the bottom — but there was barely a scratch at the end of the day. It also has a burly reinforced metal tip and a partial sidewall construction. We have noticed that the topsheet is getting shredded in those locations where it has cap construction, and were disappointed that this happened pretty quickly. These are small problems, and we are otherwise happy with the durability of the ski and think it is a good value for this one ski quiver.

Conclusion

The Temptation 88 wins our Top Pick Award for best all-mountain ski for carving performance. It is stable at speeds and loves to be on edge, making quick, snappy turns. If you are an intermediate or advanced skier that wants a ski to rail turns all day, the Temptation is for you. Ski school instructors who tested this model loved its performance. Although not recommended for deep powder days, the Temptation will hang on when dabbling off-piste and can really hold and edge and keep you stable on hard or icy conditions.

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