A lot of pain this week in the aftermath of the death of Andy Peff, the 19-year-old Colby College freshman killed in a snowboarding accident last weekend at Sugarloaf.

This is Sugarloaf's fourth fatality since 2003, all involving skiers or snowboarders who hit trees.

Trail conditions were variable when the accident occurred -- a combination of powder and packed powder, according to Sugarloaf's daily ski report. Visibility was good. And Andy was said to be a better-than-average boarder.

A mountain's ski patrol and insurance company comb through these and many other variables when fatal accidents occur, as they try to determine the cause of the accident and -- if possible -- whose fault it was.

The responsibility code, which everyone agrees to implicitly when they purchase a lift ticket, makes it clear: Skiing and snowboarding are inherently dangerous sports. Injury or death can result from a variety of factors, all rapidly changing, many under no one's control.

Some homed in on the fact that Andy wasn't wearing a helmet when he left Haul Back and hit a tree while riding with friends at about 11 a.m. Saturday.

No helmet? So what? It's not illegal to ski or snowboard without a helmet (as it is in some states to operate a motorcycle).

It may even be wise.

In sum, the life-saving benefits of a ski helmet are dubious at best, misleading at worst.

Think about how much extra space a resin-and-foam helmet puts between your skull and an onrushing object. Not much.

Now go back to biology class and think about how much space is between your brain and your skull. Again, not much.

Launch yourself into an inanimate object, head-first, at speed, and there's not enough absorptive material in any helmet to protect your brain at anything above, say, a 10-mph, head-on crash.

An unscientific and a way-out example? Let's consider a less-severe, everyday case, then: a slow, twisting fall. Helmet's going to help you there, right?

Many skiers who wear a helmet for protection -- especially children, whose musculoskeletal systems are still developing -- can actually be harmed in a scenario like this.

The reason: A helmet's sheer weight becomes its own safety issue in a crash.

Hit something broadside, pitch yourself forward, suffer any kind of twisting leg injury, and a helmet could actually create a head injury -- or make one worse -- with the whiplash-type motion created in a dynamic accident.

Not that helmet makers provide this kind of product information, but the weight of a three- or four-pound crash helmet is challenging, proportionately, for a 7-year-old kid, or really anyone who weighs 100 pounds or less -- prohibitively challenging, I would say.

Add speed, and that weight actually feels heavier.

The helmeted head creates even more of a challenge for your spine -- particularly the cervical spine around your neck -- if it suddenly or sharply changes direction, as it does during a crash.

If you are in an accident and ski patrollers need to clear your airway, support your spine or perform CPR, a helmet is, again, no help at all. Removing one can actually compromise a patient with spinal injury. As a patroller, I've watched helmet removal take crucial time and energy in at least two scenes where an injured slider needed advanced life support.

"Don't wear a helmet" -- ? That's not at all what I'm saying.

What I'm saying is: Before you plunk down $100 for a helmet, know what you're getting. They provide a scoche head-injury insurance -- not a lot. They may present whiplash risks, especially for children. And they're a pain for rescuers to deal with if you do wipe out.

Put another way, skiers who wear helmets still die in mountain accidents. And so do people who don't.

How's this: Instead of the helmet, make a better investment, for the same price, in an advanced ski school lesson.

If the idea is to push the envelope and slide confidently in a variety of challenging trail environments, I promise you it will go a lot farther than hoping a helmet comes through when you need it.

Bob Mentzinger is a former ski patroller, reachable at rmentzinger@centralmaine.com