Schladming in dress rehearsal for 2013 ski event

The alpine ski World Cup finals in Schladming this week will be a useful dress rehearsal for the Austrian resort as it prepares to host the biennial ski World Championships in February 2013. No stranger to ski competitions, Schladming already hosted World Championships in 1982 and has been the venue every year since 1997 of the popular annual men's Night Race slalom, part of the World Cup circuit. However, this will be the venue's first time organising the end-of-season World Cup finals, and its first chance to show off its new facilities for super-G, downhill, giant slalom and slalom ahead of next year's World Championships. It will also be a trial run for the skiers themselves. The slope on the Planai mountain where all the men's competitions will be held next year is the same as in 1982 but has been revamped. The women, who will compete on a parallel slope to the men, meanwhile face an entirely new run from 30 years ago, and one never yet tried in competition. As part of Schladming's "green" strategy, all men's and women's races end in the same finish area, limiting travelling time and transportation between venues. In all, some 400 million euros ($525 million) from public and private funds are to flow into improving the infrastructure in and around Schladming ahead of 2013, according to the town's website. Situated in the heart of Austria Schladming is one of the country's most popular winter resorts and part of the larger Dachstein ski region, with some 232 kilometres (144 miles) of pistes and close to 100 lifts and gondollas. On March 14-18, between 30,000 and 35,000 people are expected to attend the World Cup finals here. The World Championships on February 4-17, 2013 could however draw up to 450,000 people to the small Styrian town of 4,500 people, Austrian Ski Federation President Peter Schroecksnadel hopes. And local authorities are already banking on the long-term benefits from all the publicity. Throughout its campaign, Schladming has insisted 85 percent of its ski slopes will remain open to the public during competition days. But local businesses fear a drop in the number of visitors next season -- scared off by the big sporting event and the accompanying crowds -- and the ski lift operator is expecting a loss of several million euros, not least because of the countless free ski passes that will be handed to skiers, VIPs, organisers and press. Even with this year's finals and next year's championships still to go, Schladming is nevertheless already planning its next big event: it now wants to bid for the 2017 Winter Special Olympics, which it already hosted in 1993.