"Should it have been up there in the first place?
Looking at the 1000ft and 2000ft winds it's saying 35kt and 45kt respectively forecasted for the time.
Given the height of the mountains there being between 1&2K ft you might expect a strong downdraft on the leeward side where they were, no?"
An hour after the first report and somebody is already questioning the pilot's decisions. Give us a break.