I haven't made any ski descents down any peak. I only started skiing this year for the first time and felt pretty accomplished getting to the top of a local golf course hill in XC skis, think it was the 5th hole and then making my "descent" off that hill to what I assume was the fairway under 5ft of snow, all in my new skis without falling down! So there. ha.
To the main point in this topic, part of me thinks who cares, and to each is own. This is sort of akin to the discussions of what constitutes a "solo" climb and the importance some ascribe to that and the arguments that inevitably ensue from those claims.
I say climb and ski what you want, get out there and have fun doing it maybe challenge yourself at times, that's the purpose right? I was thrilled making my "first" hill descent off the 5th hole, solo nonetheless, haha!
My two cents: To check a box here and there to show status and your accomplishments, that's pretty innocent. For anyone trying to publicly claim all the ski descents to a community that places a priority on doing it the "right way", or if you are being promotional to market that accomplishment for your own gain, then one must be held to a higher standard and look to those who accomplished the same thing before them and follow their lead as to what constitutes a proper descent, else face criticism. It's always been that way and social media exacerbates that tendency. Sort of like the posts of "did I summit Sunlight if I didn't climb the summit block"? Practically, yes, but in reality you didn't.
Lou Dawson spells it out pretty clearly here:
https://www.loudawson.com/bios/web-inte ... wson-2006/
"First, the definition of skiing a fourteener is based on who did what before you. For example, if the peak has been skied from the summit during an average snow year, continuously, down to a logical stopping point (valley or trailhead), then that (in my opinion and by current cultural consensus) provides a definition for the next attempt. This is why I skied Pyramid Peak from the summit, as Chris Landry had done this before me. So I wasn’t going to ski it from a lower and easier point and claim a ski descent."