I've had a few situations skiing at resorts where I was just a bit off-piste and found myself struggling through waist-deep powder. In the dense trees and snow it can be very difficult to see and hear even a small distance away. Add an injury to the mix and it's trouble. I would never consider buying a standalone satellite communicator device for this but having one on my phone is an awesome value add for me.

As someone else said "The best camera is the one you have with you". Same is true for satellite communicators.