Helmet or no helmet and why?

Just sitting here planning a quick tour for Friday and wondered how many TAYers wear a helmet in the BC now. I have the idea that I have never worn one before so why start? What have the people wearing helmets found with performance( cold, warm, etc.). If you don't and won't what are your thoughts. Since there is no right or wrong answer let it fly. Have fun and safe travels this weekend...sounds like it is all about the tour. Good time to get out and dig pits and compare all the data that is flooding in. I thank all that post to this site it is a tool I would not want to live without.

Downside: Can be hot, adds weight, can impair hearing
Upside: In a collision (avalanche induced or otherwise) it might save your life

For me that adds up to a Yes.

In the case of avalanches, from my recent reading of Canadian avalanche accidents, it does look in most cases like the cause of death is asphyxiation, but for example in 12 More Turns, the person who died might (or night not) have been saved by a helmet because he was dug up very quickly, but died (I think this is right) from injuries in the head/neck area.

I wear a helmet to protect my brains from rocks, trees, and ice.  If you're pretty confident that you're not going to hit any of those things at more than 5 mph then you don't  need one.  This is not rocket science...

I'm a pretty good skier, but occasionally I fall.  Twice this year I've head planted after my ski found a rock hidden in the snow.  It's not difficult to imagine the damage that occurs when an unprotected head makes contact with a hard surface at typical skiing speeds.

I do tend to carry my helmet on the pack when skinning up in easy to moderate terrain.  I tend to overheat pretty quick and the helmet is just too warm.  

My advise would be to nearly always wear a helmet.

My habit is to nearly always wear a helmet when lift skiing. 

I very rarely tour with a helmet as I simply don't want to carry it.  I rationalize this by figuring that I spend a relatively short amount of time charging down the hill and I tend to ski more conservatively while in the BC.  Judging by all of the dents and scratches in my last helmet, this is not an inspired policy but if perhaps I were smarter I would have more to loose and would always don a lid. Kind of a catch 22.
I have been keeping an eye out for a deal on a light weight, well vented climbing helmet so perhaps that will tip the scales so to speak.  Maybe I could cancel my health insurance and afford myself top shelf body armor and a full face carbon brain bucket.
I had better ask my wife first.

Helmet math for me=Do I have anyone in my life financially endowed enough to pay for long term care for the rest of my life, and would that party be willing to trade me as I am now for a non communicative drool machine?

I don't mean to be flip, but things can either go wrong or very wrong, and precautions are the divide between the 2. Tree's, rocks, etc don't have your name on em, but you could easily engrave it with your head....

Wow, that's a lot of helmet lovers! Personally I could see them in the ski area where you have crazy skiers and boarders. They also make sense for tree skiing, but there is no way I would haul one out into the backcountry. Why bother. No one else should be running you over. If you are a crappy skier, maybe you should dial it back a little in the BC. You know, stay a couple of feet away from those mean trees. Yeah, you might catch a tip and hit your head on a rock, but you might get killed driving to your favorite ski stash. What do you think is more likely? Of course, if you have those weird skis that don't lock down your heel, then you should probably wear a full face helmet!