One thing we have to remember, is that this also has something to do with the "helmet culture" of especially Snowboard Street movies, but to a certain extent also Ski Street movies.
Basically, there is an unwritten rule within the snowboard community, that you do not get a part in a street movie if you ride with a helmet. I know there are exceptions, but never the less the former is the norm. Apparently it makes it more "legit" to ride without a helmet. I find it stupid, but that's just my opinion, and it is fully up to the riders themselves to decide whether or not they want to wear a helmet.
However, it is problematic that there is a certain amount of pressure from the industry not to wear a helmet. This is unfortunate, but I guess it is part of the game. Taking risks and doing crazy stuff is what gives snowboarding and skiing it's allure, and I guess that doing it without a helmet adds to that allure. But it seems the athletes risk quite a lot without adequate compensation (pay).
I find that quite unfair, that there is pressure to ride without a helmet, but not the adequate financial incentive to do so. At the end of the day, maybe that is at the core of "extreme" sports, the willingness to do it, just because you can, not because it's gonna make you rich.
This was kinda incoherent and ranty, but I can't help but feel that all of this ties into the arguments for and against wearing helmets.