it's different to be sponsored by your local proshop and get 30 percent off of your gear than it is to be sponsored by guys like fulltilt, smith, line... you name it.
i mean they don't get paid to ski, they don't make a living off skiing. very few people do that and the way they do that is through winning competitions/being one of THE BEST. for me the definition of a pro is still someone who has legitimate sponsors.
the only other definition of a pro in skiing would be someone who truly lives off of skiing... in which case VERY FEW people are actually pros.