Altagirl, you said it very well.
Treebunny, you underestimate how many people ski the kind of terrain that you don't happen to ski. You also underestimate how much money those skiers and riders spend on their vacations. Your demographic does not pay all the bills for resorts. Sure, there are some ski bums who do it all on the cheap, but there are a lot more skiers/riders who are older, highly skilled and spend big bucks. The reason resorts have opened steeper terrain and backcountry gates is because there is a real demand for it. The reason snowcat and heli-skiing operators are booming is because there is a huge demand for it. I recently went on a snowcat trip with a group of 36 skiers/riders, we booked the entire lodge for ourselves. The majority were over the age of 60, some in their mid-70s. We all joked about "the geriatric snowcats that weren't."
There are two highly-skilled ski markets out there with a lot of clout: those in their 20s and 30s without kids yet, and those in the empty-nest scenario, and both have disposable income that speaks volumes in the ski industry. And the ski industry is responding to their expectations.
I think the problem goes back to the fact that you feel there is not a magazine that gives you what you want. SKI magazine is probably the closest to what you are looking for. Skiing magazine is definitely NOT what you want to read, and I guess I'm not sure why you seem to be reading it, since it gets you frustrated and makes you feel as if your needs are being ignored. Unfortunately, no magazine can be all things to all people. And the truth is, there probably isn't a magazine that is perfect for you. An even bigger truth is what I said before: the main tarket market for the ski magazines is men, and men are more apt to enjoy looking at pictures of skiers in terrain that they may only aspire to. As long as the magazines sell enough to make a nice profit, that won't change.
I don't know what the answer is. I don't believe a woman's ski magazine can be successful, or at least it's clear that no one has figured out the right ticket to success yet (there have been some great attempts, but women did not embrace them). Which is why the Internet is so popular and helpful, you can find sites like this that provide information you won't find in magazines.
Thatsagirl