I see this thread is meandering towards an accurate conclusion... I was about to make an inaccurate contribution myself but after a consultation with Wagtendonk's 1st Ed 1996, p103 i've 'remembered' that IAS for range does change with wind speed (see p103 for power-on examples on graph, p145 for power-off but it has no wind variations). Endurance doesn't, btw.
I think the main factor in wind is planning. Firstly, which sites are reachable from a given point and secondly a) flare w.r.t to reduced wind speed (sheer) near surface and b) flare w.r.t. IAS vs GS for landing.
If you've practised in different conditions and you're mentally making a note of conditions at the start of each flight you're more likely to make the right decision if the unfortunate event occurs which necessitates the 'making like a glider' routine.