A very good piece of advice once passed onto me, was :
WATCH WHAT THE BIRDS DO.
If you want to fly, not just in the mountains, watch what birds do.
In strong winds they don't turn their tails to the wind, they ride it, weaving left and right and let the wind move them to where they want to be. For a helo the advantage of this are:
A positive airspeed.
Nose more or less into wind if something goes wrong.
A low groundspeed.
you shouldn't run out of room in your valley/bowl or whatever and have to overbank/pitch.
The final piece of advice.
Practice. Especially with someone who knows. Mountains cannot be taught by a book. Experience is the key.
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement. try to use someone elses experience before you develop your own. It can go very wrong very quickly and if you haven't planned ahead you are f***ed!
If you are teaching yourself from a book:
a. You are a f***ing mug.
b. don't try this at night.