@Alexzn I admit I don't really know much about "freeride community", and certainly not about US one. I know few guys and girls who are or were riding FWT, and maybe once or twice a year we go skiing together, but that's about it about my "freeride community" knowledge or "insider info"
Other then this, I don't really have much connection with this, so I don't have any idea how things go around etc. But I believe you if you say so.
Otherwise I totally agree with you about what's difference between pros and non-pros. Any good skier can ski pretty much everything if conditions are perfect (ok let's exclude some crazy shit here), but when conditions are not perfect, most of people are not able to ski that.
Now to off topic stuff... I honestly don't have any idea about drones, as for this what I do, they are forbidden. Most of sporting events don't allow drones in airspace around competition venue. FIS in particular allowed them for TV production but since that Hirscher thing in Madonna few years ago, they are forbidden completely. So while they look fascinating for me, and provide amazing footage, I never used them or even think about them much (few $1000 is too expensive for me to have them just for fooling around). But I guess it goes same as with everything else in this business, starting with digital photography. Before with film, there were few photographers that did their business. When digital cameras started to get cheap(er) all of a sudden number of photographers (or "photographers") on World cup doubled or tripled. Everyone and their dog were all of a sudden photographer, and there were times, when number that FIS set for max number of photographers on course (40) were reached and photo boss needed to make decision who will get course access and who won't. With drones I think things will go, or already go same way. Before there were few guys who were able to afford heli and camera crew, now everyone and their dog flies drones and get footage. But I'm not really sure if difficulty will go up or not. Maybe it will for a little bit, but main thing is, quality of production will go down, and amount of crap stuff will rise sky high. And amount of injuries and deaths will rise for sure, as what if Cody can ski that, and it looks real simple, I can do it too. I know how to make down blue run, so no big deal to get down some huge almost vertical face. Everything for crappy shot or video on faacebook or instagram
But in this huge pool of crap, there will be some noname guys and girls riding good lines and now you will be able to see them, as before you wouldn't as there's no chance they would have money for proper production. And these noname guys will probably push current stars doing even harder and more dangerous things. Sorry for long off topic