The SPOT and SPOT 2, with SOS, "I'm Okay", non-emergency help and "here I am" functions wouldn't have done any more good than the PLB.

The SPOT Connect or Delorme InReach might have permitted the user to follow up the distress alert with the sort of details that would have improved response times. Keep in mind, though, that the InReach isn't available yet and SPOT Connect (like SPOT and SPOT 2) is not as reliable as a PLB.

An Iridium phone would have been the best answer, but the cost is tremendous. I'm not aware if any Iridium phones are built to the same reliability standards as PLBs.

Given the available technology, it seems to me that NOLS did exactly right.