This is a huge problem in the industry. If one shot from an entire day of riding gets used, how much should the photog make? Think of it this way. If a photog only gets one usable shot a week over the course of a season, and they get in 30 weeks of shooting over the course of an entire year, you are saying hat they photographer should only make (at the most) $3000 a year...
...So in your logic, ski photographers should live 10 times UNDER the poverty level??
In reality, a very good photog will get around 100 sellable shots a year. in order to make a living, they would need to make about $500 per photo. And thats to live a pretty basic lifestyle, not assuming they have any bills.