Handheld should be fine as the protocol is to call every even km on the way, every odd on the way down. In most cases the range of a handheld will do. Line of sight is key, major obstacles like mountains will cause sketchy Tx/Rx regardless of how much power the radio has. The first year I went up an FSR in the winter a logging truck almost took me out. I had been calling as required but apparently "Sharky" didn't hear me. He came around a switchback & I had to take the snowbank to avoid becoming his hood ornament. I got out ok, but it was a reminder that even with a radio, caution & a little luck can save your bacon. Also be aware of the licensing requirements for VHF transceivers. I know many use them unlicensed but it is unlawful. The Industry Canada site has all the info, it's about $45 a year to maintain a license, small price to pay to stay legal when you consider the amount of money we spend on hunting as a whole.
My initial purchase was an 8 channel Kenwood that needs to be taken back to the vendor to be reprogrammed. I found 8 channels on a non user programmable radio were not near enough for the number of different FSRs I frequent. I use the radio on backcountry ski touring trips as well. I have since acquired a couple of Baofengs which have tons of channels and are programmable. They also feature an FM radio for tunes and can be used on the GMRS short range bands which don't require a license.
I got a patch cable & the software to program the Kenwood. Bit of a pain since the cable is RS232 standard so I need to use a Windows XP laptop to do the dirty deed, but taking it back to the vendor would cost $35 a pop not to mention the downtime. There is an RS232 to USB driver for Windows 10 but I can't seem to get that to work consistently. Programming radios in the field is bending the rules of Industry Canada but at the end of the day, when it comes to safety, I'll do what I need to do.
An advantage of the handheld is portability.