Two friends who died on Yr Wyddfa tried calling 999, inquest hears

Benbow described the scene on the ridge as “full winter conditions”.

He said he was told by Long’s family that he had been walking in the Lake District and Peak District but this was his first time in Eryri – Snowdonia.

While the pair had spiked footwear they did not have crampons nor ice axes, Benbow said.

He said there was signage at various parts of the mountain range warning that certain routes require experienced climbers, with Crib Goch described as an “extreme scramble”.

Benbow said at the time he was first alerted there was not enough information about the location and nature of the call to deploy immediately.

Det Con James Lloyd from North Wales Police’s professional standards department told the hearing that although attempts were made by the control room to make further contact with the 999 caller “the incident wasn’t escalated as it should have been”.

He said there had been “learning” for staff and the force to pass on similar calls to mountain rescuers sooner for them to assess.

Long’s father, Stephen, questioning Lloyd via videolink, described the situation as “incompetence”.

Lloyd said he found the force did not contribute to the deaths of the two men.

Assistant coroner for North West Wales Sarah Riley said both men died as a result of falling down steep mountainous terrain and of multiple traumatic injuries.

She said she could not say whether they fell together or one fell while trying to help the other.

She recorded a conclusion of accident and said as part of her remit to prevent future deaths she would be sending a report to North Wales Police to address her concerns about the lack of action taken to respond to the initial 999 call.

The force will have 56 days to respond.