Help me find the right camera (done the right way)

so as mentioned in the sticky in this forum, im copying and pasting the list of questions and my answers to get everyone started:
any advice is greatly appreciated

1) What is your budget? How much money can you spend right away, and do you think you can get more money to invest in the future?
my dad agreed to get me a nice camera for graduation.  i was hoping to keep this around 500-600 range if that is possible, if not i may be able to go higher. (this is just for the camera, not for tripod, other lenses etc)

2) What experience do you already have with cameras? Have you ever even used one before? Have you helped your friend out with his camera? Have you owned your own?
i have had minimal exposure (see what i did there?) to DSLRs, ive owned a pretty solid point and shoot for a while now and i have experience with some mid range video cameras.

2) What gear, if any, do you currently have? (tripod, old camera lenses, mics, etc)
i have a decent tripod, one old lens which may or may not work (canon, from an SLR right before everything went over to digital)

4) What are you planning to shoot and how do you want to use your camera? Are you going to use this with the sole purpose of shooting skiing? or do you think you might try other stuff as well (movies, documentaries, short films, etc)
id love to be able to shoot skiing, but also scenery, time lapse and i may make some short films as well.

5) Do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?
not necessarily, but something with simpler options for that rare case where i may give up my camera some someone can get a shot of me.

6) When filming skiing, how do you tend to shoot? (follow cams, leave it on record on a tripod and hike, film from a tripod, etc)
ive done a follow cam once, but mostly just post up next to a jump/rail/urban and shoot from there (keep in mind this has only been with my tiny point and shoot camera)

7) What computer do you currently have/use to edit (if not currently editing, what would you most likely use)? If you can provide specifics, such as hard drive space, RAM, processor size, that would be great.
i have a laptop running windows 7 (2gb ram, and dual 1.74 processors... i know its low, but ill have to get a new one for college anyway).  the computer isnt really an issue at the moment.  also, i have a 1tb external hard drive so storage isnt an issue.

7) What program do you currently edit on? How familiar are you with it (1- just learning; 10- I can make tutorials and know the keyboard layout)
photo editing with photoshop; no video editing at the moment.

---------------------------Optional Section, for those seeking a more intensive upgrade/purchase------------------------
1) Do you think you might consider using a DSLR?
i would like to get a DSLR
2) Do you have any knowledge about the HDSLRS?
no
3) Do you know the limitations to using HDSLRS?
no
4) Are you willing to take the time to learn about a DSLR, and how to shoot with manual lenses?
yes, thats why i want a DSLR
5) Again, do you want a camera that you can hand to your friends, that could or could not have film experience, and let them shoot you? or will you be doing all the filming?
see answer above

i hope that answering those questions helped
and again, thanks to anyone who takes the time to share their knowledge!