That loud ticking sound you hear is coming from the World Championships clock that is counting down the final days to the vote that will determine whether the Vail Valley will play host to the biggest event in skiing in 2015.

For the better part of the past two years, the Beaver Creek/Vail 2015 Bid Committee, comprised of key officials of the Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Resorts and the U.S. Ski&Snowboard Association, have been lobbying international skiing representatives in an effort to return the FIS World Alpine Ski Championships to the United States.

Now, with a over a week remaining until the final vote – Thursday, June 3, at the FIS Congress in Antalya, Turkey –  the Beaver Creek/Vail 2015 delegation is making final preparations that they hope will result in victory.

“We feel very confident in our strategy and campaign,” explained Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation and co-chairperson of the Beaver Creek/Vail 2105 Bid Committee.  “We are obviously in the home stretch now and all three horses are running neck and neck.  Over the course of the coming days, we’ll do everything in our power to bring the Championships home.”

The Vail Valley is vying for the right to host the Alpine World Championships with St. Moritz, Switzerland and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.  All three sites were candidates for the 2013 Championships that were awarded to Schladming, Austria at the 2008 FIS Congress.

The Alpine Championships have not revisited the U.S. since Vail and Beaver Creek played host to the 1999 event. 

“Counting the upcoming World Championships in 2011 and 2013,” Folz added, “the past seven Championships will have been contested in Europe.  We believe that it is time for the premier event in skiing to return to our side of the globe.”

Along with Folz, the Beaver Creek/Vail 2015 delegation to the FIS Congress will include John Garnsey, Co-President of Vail Resorts’ Mountain Division; Bjorn Erik Borgen, VVF board member and owner of Kvitfjell Ski Resort in Norway; Jim Roberts, Vice President of Mountain Operations for Beaver Creek; Greg Johnson, Director of Beaver Creek Mountain Operations; current Swedish World Cup racer Patrik Jaerbyn; Pepi and Sheika Gramshammer and additional Vail Valley Foundation staff support.

The first piece of the Beaver Creek/Vail contingent was scheduled to land in Turkey on Monday morning as the exhibition booth is already in route.  The human element of the Congress presence is slated to begin departing on May 27.

In addition to the three days of operating the booth, the Beaver Creek/Vail Bid Committee will also make official presentations to the FIS Council and the Alpine Committee.

The June 3 vote will be taken by the 16 members of the FIS Council, with an absolute majority required to win the Championships.  The announcement of the results of the voting will come around 7:30 p.m. in Turkey, mid-morning in the U.S.

Beaver Creek/Vail 2015 fans can follow the action from Turkey by checking out the daily blogs, photos and videos on the Vail Valley Foundation website, www.vvf.org.  The website will also feature video of the Thursday announcement of the host site for the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships.