I'm guessing it's funding channels drying up and the ensuing panic from the national governing bodies (NGBs). The last time these federations were so strict in terms of athletes being "on brand" was in the days when all prize money was laundered... er, "handled and doled out accordingly" by the sports federations.
Y'all remember that, right? Back when Stenmark was deemed a "professional" because he had contracts that allowed him direct payment from his sponsors in "violation" of the IOC code it caused a bit of chaos because he couldn't defend his medals in 1984. Stenmark (and to a lesser extent Girardelli) opened the flood gates for sponsor badges on speed suits, helmets/headgear, etc.
Suddenly branding became one of the biggest parts of NGBs. The once restrictive ski pools opened up - I remember when it was borderline scandalous that ÖSV athletes could now get material from Rossignol, Völkl, and the like. It became a feast when the global economy was strong, no doubt. There were competitive contracts for on-hill and off-hill clothing, official cars, official snack foods, the lot of it.
Now with the global economy hitting the brakes - as well as the overall uncertainty for winter sports and the lumbering beasts that are the various FIS global tours - the NGBs are trying to keep the wheels on the sponsor gravy train. And now that many of them have bloated in terms of staffing (U.S. Ski and Snowboard is a very middle manager heavy body, to put it gently, and FIS isn't much better) there are more paychecks to fill and, well, the money has to come from somewhere.
And when you get into the more slim-and-trim federations like the Norwegians they really panic when folks want to do something outside of the sponsor pool. ALS was able to get away with things back in the day, and HK's dad was willing to take the baby and the bath water to get the NSF to bend and allow him to be a team of one. Braathen didn't have that level of sway, great results notwithstanding. I can only imagine how much it affected his emotional health: the kid is successful AF and he's levied a fine for modeling a clothing brand that is very popular in Scandinavia. All because he saw a chance to have some fun and get some extra money he gets punished - no wonder he said enough is enough.
Let's see what happens with the other Norwegian alpine stars. If they continue to improve and the NSF continues to turn the screws it could be... well, it could really shake things up.
I could honestly see alpine ski teams go the way of professional bike racing. They used to have national squads, at least until the brand factory teams arrived in the 1950s and 1960s. Nowadays you only see a national squad at the development level in most pro cycling, with national teams coming together for World Championship and Olympic events. Otherwise they all ride for trade teams, mix-and-match in terms of nationality. It works, and it could very well be the only way to keep many forms of ski and snowsports competition - be it alpine, nordic, freestyle, snowboarding, whatever - viable in the long run.
Just my $0.02...
.
.
.
