Mary - I feel you completely miss the mark with your post which comes across as rather condescending.
You will find that TC and others here are not 'nervous' about flying in the mountains. Your experience of mountain waves and ridge lift is nothing like having to operate IN the mountains, especially on bad weather days (or nights).
I suspect that if you were taken into the mountains in a helicopter in 20 plus kts of wind you would not enjoy it at all.
BTW guess what subjects are covered in helicopter met lessons both during basic and advanced training and in QHI training (TC is an ex-QHI) - yes mountain waves, rotors, up and downdraughts, anabatic and katabatic winds etc etc etc.
TOTD - agreed, I have flown with many very experienced mountain pilots and there is definitely some 'art' involved especially when considering the modifying effects on the local winds that the features upwind of the one you are flying around have.