The host venue for the 2013 World Championships will be announced by the FIS Council on Thursday 29th May at the Westin Grand in Cape Town, South Africa.

The four candidates competing to host the event are Beaver Creak and Vail in the US, Italian resort Cortina d'Ampezzo, Schladming in Austria and Switzerland's St. Moritz.

Beaver Creak and Vail was the scene for the 1989 and 1999 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships, and is currently undergoing a $2.5 billion renovation. If the American resort is successful they will build a new ladies' downhill course, and have pledged to promote the sport of skiing to the next generation.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, known as the queen of Dolomites, welcomed the Winter Olympics in 1956, and is a thriving resort known for attracting the Italian elite. World Cup racing has taken place at the venue for 20 years, and, with 20 victories there, Renate Goetschl is known as the queen of Cortina.

Austria's Schladming is celebrating its centenary this year, and has previously played host to the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (1982), the FIS Junior Alpine World Ski Championships (1997) and 34 FIS World Cup events, along with the 1993 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

The final candidate is St.Moritz, home to the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics and vastly experienced in putting on World Cup racing. The Swiss resort is 1,800 metres above sea level and as a result benefits from an average 322 days of sunshine each year and reliable levels of snow.

Eurosport