THE Army has announced there are to be changes to the routes for the 2014 Ten Tors Challenge, with the aim to improve safety and resilience.

The changes see youngsters taking on fewer river crossings, and should reduce the need for air support in bad weather.

The changes follow the mass evacuation during storms at the 2007 event. The Army hopes they will preserve and evolve the challenge, and ensure it can go ahead for years to come.

Brigadier Piers Hankinson, director of Ten Tors, has been in charge of the challenge since 2012. After his first event, he revealed his intent to change routes and improve the challenge. The changes to the routes are now possible, following negotiations with landowners and Dartmoor National Park Authority, and an environmental impact assessment.

Route checkpoints — where participants can leave the event — will now be closer to the roads to reduce dependency on helicopters.

Brigadier Hankinson said: 'They'll have a similar function to the tor parties, but will reduce my dependency on helicopters to outload and recover the tor parties. It will ease the evacuation of participants who are unable to continue, and really importantly, it will remove the need to cross some major river features, and remove the need for these teenagers to walk on roads.'

He insisted that the changes and removing the dependency on helicopters has not been forced by budget cuts.

'Let me reassure people that this is not financially driven, and I'm not having to reduce my dependency on the helicopters nor on the military personnel. Some 900 personnel, primarily soldiers from the reserves, support this exercise but with navy helicopters. They will still be there.'

While improving safety, the changes have been designed to ensure the event is no easier than in previous years.

'They will still be getting on to the high tors,' said Brigadier Hankinson. 'Within my intention they will still experience the wild moor, camping and trekking. If anything it will be more challenging. Navigation now for the teams will be more challenging for these teams. The height they will have to go down and up again will be more challenging as well.'

In March 2007 Charlotte Shaw, aged 14, died following a training exercise for the challenge. During the exercise she was helping a friend cross the Walla Brook, a stream swollen by heavy rainfall. She fell in and was swept away. She died the following day in hospital.

'We think a great deal about learning from that tragic event,' said Brigadier Hankinson. 'I have re-examined the findings from that event and the recommendations. We continue to improve the event to avoid such circumstances happening during Ten Tors itself.'