Coyote - your paragraph about engine failure crosswind was incorrect - in a Gazelle or similar rotation aircraft the nose will yaw right as the engine fails ie in the same direction as the power pedal which is opposing a torque reaction that has just been turned off.
You and rotordog might not like the approach to high hover and vertical descent but it is often the only way to get into a proper confined area ie a small one. One problem with a steep approach to the forward edge of the LS is that of judging tail clearance - at least if you recce for a vertical descent you can pick suitable markers to help you. The other advantage of the 'EMS' if that is what you want to call it approach is that it is much quicker to make a fast, level approach to a hover and then descend vertically than it is to make a slow, steep approach all the way in (and you spend more time in the HV curve).
407 you are quite right about losing wind effect behind the trees which is why you shouldn't do confined area ops with limited power - HOGE plus a 10% thrust margin is recommended by Brit Mil operators for exactly this reason.
Organ donor - do any training establishments in UK have proper confined areas eg clearings in trees that they are allowed to use - in theory to land off airfield you need landowners permission and must notify the police; I suspect that is why much CA training is conducted half heartedly on airfields.