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After further enquiries, including contact with family members, mountain rescue teams and the coastguard helicopter searched the last known position of the two men but found no trace.
A decision was made to continue the search at first light.
A search and rescue dog team joined the mountain rescue teams for the search on the morning of 19 February.
At 10:46 two members of the team spotted a possible trail in the snow, and a drone and the coastguard helicopter were sent to the location.
The men's bodies were found and their deaths confirmed.
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 and Peak District but this was his first time in Eryri.
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, 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 of multiple traumatic injuries.
The inquest continues.
