What's a metal edge for?

Is a metal edge for skating?

No.

For skating, you can assume the position and go through the motions on any ski, but it works best on skis designed for the purpose. They're narrow, somewhat shorter than a performance classic ski, and as light as possible. A metal edge makes the ski heavier, and distributes the weight toward the ends of the ski, making them more tiring to use in two ways.  They're also more prone to ice up when conditions favor it. If conditions are so hard that you want a metal edge, you probably don't want to be scampering around on really lightweight gear anyway. Firm conditions are not ice. Might it be nice to have a sharp and hard edge that you could activate when you need it? Yes. No one has come up with one yet. For now we settle for white knuckles and hard sintered base material.

Do you need a metal edge to make your ski turn?

No. Sort of. Here in New England, downhill skiers are used to being able to see -- and hear -- their skis almost all the time. Skis for this environment should almost have a serrated edge a lot of the time, let alone a metal one.

Do you need a metal edge to stop?

No. Sort of. See above.

The shape and flex of a ski are the two most important factors in how easily it will turn. A metal edge only comes into play when the trail surface is very hard. Even then, it's not a magical device that will give you instant control. Keep your speed down in hard and fast conditions. In deep snow, especially heavy snow like we get in New England a lot of the time, a metal edge does nothing for you. All of your control comes from the shape and flex of the ski. Does it bend easily to initiate a turn? Does it have enough sidecut to assume a nice curve when you tilt it toward its edge?

Sometimes, the snow is so dense that you have to jump up out of it to set the skis in the direction that you want them to turn.  Short, fat backcountry skis with a lot of shape are designed to stay near the surface on soft snow, and to flex and carve more easily than traditional heavy touring skis. The tradeoff is that you won't be able to stride as fast if you want to traverse gentler terrain as part of your trip.

Once, on an icy snow machine trail, I discovered that the sidecut of my metal edge backcountry skis actually made it harder to put a lot of edge onto the trail surface when skiing parallel. I had more control linking quick telemark turns with my skis flatter to the surface. The metal edge was definitely an asset, and the shape of the skis was a minor drawback.

My bolder and more often injured companions just let 'em rip down that chute. Control is only an issue if you care whether you have it.