Runner died falling off Crib Goch while picking up his dog

Shelly Price said she had spoken to him on the phone that morning after he had taken the Watkin Path to the summit.

“He was very excited about the rest of the day,” she said.

Walker Stuart Alder was also on Crib Goch, which reaches 3,028ft (923 metres), at about 11:30 BST with his two children when he saw Smith with his spaniel.

He told the inquest: “The man leaned forward and reached for the dog. He lost his footing and tripped and fell off the ledge.”

He called 999.

Fellow hiker Connor Holler was carrying a large first aid kit with trauma equipment, and managed to reach Smith.

He said, “it was instantly apparent that he had suffered catastrophic injuries”.

He bandaged Smith’s head, but he then stopped breathing and had no pulse.