And if he had been left there, would almost certainly have fallen to his death or serious injury.
All walkers and climbers are 'uninjured' right up to the point when they fall.
People put themselves in stupid positions for all sorts of reasons but unless you ban everyone from the countryside, you will still need a rescue service to protect them.
The reversing in is pretty standard for mountain flying in steep and narrow terrain - it gives a good flyaway/escape route - usually into wind - while allowing the aircraft to be manoeuvred into the valley/gully.