Helmet or no helmet and why?

Always in a lift served skiing setting. A helmet could make the difference between finishing your day and nursing a head wound at ski patrol. MY helmet is full of scrapes from branch encounters.
I also wear one in late springtime/summer  and early season backcountry. On rock routes a must.  Dead of winter backcountry not so much.
Winter lift skiing I think the negative flow induced by vent above my googles help with fogging on my glasses. Summetime it can get hot but I usually just strap it on my pack.
"If you have a $10 head buy a $10 helmet " from motocross early days

NEarly everyone here is speaking purely in black or whites. Save my life or not.

It doesnt have to be a fatal head injury to ruin your life. "Just" a simple concussion and its sequelae can mess you up for a long time.

I wear mine always downhill. Unfortunately, if you really think about it, helmets should be worn constantly in back country- whenever u r in avy terrain. We arent just wearing helmets to protect when we are actively skiing crazy fast downhill but an avy can rip down on u when u r on the flats.

Obviously, few of us are committed enough to wear a helmet whenever avy danger is a possibility.

Two stories:
  I was skiing with my then 8yr old son, total green groomer coming out towards the end of the day, sking backwards watching my son, go to turn, next I am waking up, wondering who, what where I am. Came to staggered to my feet brushed off onlookers, saw my son and then muttered whu Oh S*!T, where what, who, are we?? Found someone to tell them hey! I do not know where I am and I think I fell ...... long story short I was okay But I bought a helmet the next week.

   I used to work many years in the Harborview ED as A RN, slanted view with the frequent airlifts but winters were always busy with skiers and boarders and suprisingly many from the BC. Stories I remember seeing and I only worked 3 12's a week.

Skier off the Muir flipped and God knows how trenched his head on a chunk of ice reportedly,  well on his way to a scalping, did fine but looked like hell!

One person who went to duck under a tree branch  and caught the top of their head. Their ski partners took a photo (camera came in with patient)  sometime during the aftermath and it looked like carnage, Lots of sutures and a lot less hair later they went home

  A number of distant memories of "goofy" stories of skiers falling, tumbling in circumstances that of course I never : would find myself in......not

  I forget most of what I saw and most admittedly came in from the lift areas, but I was struck by the backcountry incidents and appreciated that helmets protect the head from more than the dramatic head vs rock or big fall. I do think that I am more likely to suffer a injury other than to my head and I think research of injury patterns bears that out. However a helmet is a "easy" risk modifer to a high risk injury area so I wear one lift sking and maybe half the time in the BC, But I am old and cranky and ski more solo easy tours rather than steeps.

I usually wear a helmet for lift skiing and would consider wearing one for the drive to and from skiing. No way am I wearing a helmet for skiing fresh snow!

I have been wearing one probably more than half the time. It's a climbing helmet so maybe it won't be as effective as one intended for skiing but I own it, and it is light, and it isn't as warm as the actual skiing ones seem. The two times I have need it I wasn't wearing it. I think they are good around loose rock or hard snow situations and not a bad idea in the trees.

Funny this topic comes up just after I decide to permanently wear a helmet in the bc, frontcountry, and my car! I have been researching lightweight helmets and have gone with a nice Giro which seems to have great ventilation and sleek features along with a safer shell than the previous models.

I would like to also echo some of the previous sentiments- it doesn't matter if it never happens to you, it is like buying insurance for the off chance that it does happen to you. If you ski with a cavalier attitude and shun basic safety measures, you just might find yourself being the one guy who doesn't make it 50 years without a scratch, and is eating thru a tube.

Great thread guys and I am happy to hear many more like me have realized that they should be wearing helmets in the frontcountry and BC.

Chris