Holy shitstorm. Let's straighten a few things out.
There are plenty of people who I would consider "skiers" who have never purchased any sort of ski movie. Skiers aren't skiers because they buy things from the ski industry, they are skiers because they go skiing.
There is a small but crucial difference that nobody seems to be looking at in this thread--one can care about going skiing without caring to support the ski industry. Brand loyalty or resorts are unnecessary to enjoy, love, and care about the activity and benefits of going skiing. I know backcountry skiers who aren't dedicated to one brand, don't use resorts, and are certainly as passionate about powder as any brand loyal person who's never skied without a chairlift.
The reason that ski movies should not be torrented is also more complex than anyone has yet cared to mention. Ski movies, aside from being merely entertaining, like something you'd go to see by Dreamworks or Universal or whatever, are part of our ski culture. Also, the ski flicks that NS cares about tend to be created by smallish, independently run companies that don't have much in the way of funding. People that torrent ski movies are taking advantage of the cultural benefits of ski films (getting excited for winter, watching new tricks, seeing new locations, etc) without properly rewarding the people that work to keep the culture alive. I don't advocate any sort of stealing, but it's certainly harder hitting on small production companies to absorb the losses in video sales that torrenting creates.
I'm super excited for the digital releases of these films, and I agree that dates would be nice to that I can know when I can buy them.