Helmet or not while skiing?

Even though I consider myself an “early adopter” I still don't use a helmet for skiing. I use one for biking, but have been resisting social pressures to put one on my head while I'm on the snow. Yet, my wife and I recently observed that, where we ski, 80% of all skiers and riders are wearing a “head bucket.” One on my reasons for resisting is that there's already to much “gear” in my skiing life; more seriously, I fear it will impede with my lateral vision and be too hot in spite of the built-in vents. Like with my bike helmet I'm also concerned about comfort; it's acceptable for me to have ski boots that hurt a little, but I don't want to hurt at both ends of my body.

The only advantage I see in a helmet is that I would have an electrical hook-up for my music when I ski alone. Frank Traczyk, a friend of mine advocates the safety of that device when he skis the trees; well, I broke three ribs hitting an aspen and no helmet could have helped! Recently a common friend of ours also encountered a tree and shattered her femur; so much for protecting the head! If you've read through the lines, you know it; I'm not quite ready for a ski helmet. What I could use it for though, is when I go into my basement, the attic or other low ceiling areas of the house; a big scab on my bald head attests to that...