I agree with Meadowbank.
Besides my (relatively few) low level hours on helicopters. I have over 2000 hrs LL on C130 and 1000 on Canberras, plus a few hundred more on a variety of types including Tornado, Jaguar and Hawk.
When flying 250 MSD in the valleys of Scotland, Wales, South Germany and a few other places, for the majority of the time I had mountains left, right and in front. Nearly always above. My speed was always considerably above 140 kts.
Does this mean I was always "grossly negligent."
Of course it does not.
What should I and my pilot have done?
Climbed early "just in case" we had a control restriction or suffered from a visual illusion or some other emergency?