With just one month to go until the 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Alpine Skiing World Championships get underway, skiers are now making their final preparations around the globe for the major competition in Paralympic Winter Sport.

Recent competitions have already taken place in Sestriere, Itlay Pitzal, Austria and Landgraaf, Netherland, where many of the skiers took the opportunity to test their skills for the upcoming World Championships.

One of those skiers was Kees-Jan van der Klooster of the Netherlands who is counting down the days until Sestriere.

Kees-Jan van der Klooster said: “My goal is to reach the podium and win first place in the Downhill, and hopefully I can make the top 10 in the other events I am competing in this January.

“I started training in August with the Dutch Paralympic ski team and was at the indoor ski centres.”

Van der Klooster, who will also be competing in the Giant Slalom, and Super-G events, took sixth place in the Downhill last year at the World Cup in Sestriere.

Upcoming races still on the calendar this month for skiers before the World Championships include the European Cup in Tirol, Austria and the IPC Alpine Skiing race in La Molina, Spain. North American races will be held in Winter Park and Copper Mountain, both in the USA.

Taking place in Sestriere, Italy from 15-23 January 2011, over 130 athletes from 27 countries are expected to compete at the venue which was used during the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. The World Championships will be the biggest gathering of Paralympic Winter Sport since the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

The 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Sestriere, Italy will include Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super-G, Super Combined and Team events.