PREVIEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – 2-15 FEB 2015 USA looking for first gold on home snow in 26 years > The United States will host the World Championships for the sixth time, of which two came during the Olympic Winter Games (1960 Squaw Valley and 1980 Lake Placid). > Vail will host for the third time following the 1989 and 1999 championships. The 1999 edition also featured events in Beaver Creek like the 2015 edition. > The only other time the World Championships were held in the United States was in 1950, when Aspen was the host city. > In 1999, United States skiers failed to win any medals. Chad Fleischer was the best ranked US skier in 1999, when he finished sixth in the men's Super G. > In 1989, United States won one gold medal and one bronze, both won by Tamara McKinney. > The only male US skier to have won a World Championships medal in the United States is Phil Mahre, when he won gold and silver in 1980. > Four skiers who are likely to participate also took part in the 1999 edition: Benjamin Raich, Bode Miller, Ivica Kostelic and Hubertus Von Hohenlohe. Switzerland hoping to end winning drought > In 2011 and 2013, Switzerland failed to win a gold medal at the World Championships. > Only once before they failed to win a gold medal in at least three successive World Championships, when they failed to win any medal in 1962, 1964 and 1966 and only claimed silver and bronze in 1968. > The last Swiss skier to win gold at the World Championships is Carlo Janka, when he won the Giant Slalom in 2009, nine days after Didier Cuche won the Super G. > The last Swiss female skier to win gold is Sonja Nef in 2001 (Giant Slalom). Nef is the only woman from Switzerland to win a world title in the last 24 years as she ended a 10 year winning drought for Swiss women in 2001. Information provided by Raich looking for 11th medal > Benjamin Raich has won most medals at World Championships of all participating in Vail/Beaver Creek. He has won 10 medals and needs one more medal to equal Marielle Goitschel, Marc Girardelli and Lasse Kjus in fourth place all-time. > Raich has won a medal in five different World Championships editions and can equal Girardelli in second place of winning a medal in six different editions. Only Kjetil André Aamodt won a medal in more different editions (7). > Raich has won a medal in every event besides the Downhill at the World Championships. > Raich's won his last World Championship medal in 2011 as a member of the team that took silver in the Team event. > His last individual medal dates back to 2009, when he claimed silver in the Giant Slalom. Maze looking for medal haul in Vail/Beaver Creek > Tina Maze is the only woman to have recorded podium finishes in all four disciplines this World Cup season (Alpine Combined has not been held yet). > Anna Fenninger is the only other woman to have won a medal in World Cup races in three different disciplines this season. > Maze is the Overall World Cup leader and her seven podium finishes are only equalled by Fenninger. > Maze can equal Anja Pärson (2007), Benjamin Raich (2005) and Lasse Kjus (1999) on a record five medals at specific World Championships (including team events). > Maze will be will be 31 years and 277 days old at the start of the 2015 World Championships (Super G race day) and could become the oldest female world champion, surpassing Rösli Streiff (31-021) who won the Combination and Slalom in 1932. > Women who have already won a World Cup race this season and can also break Streiff's record are Nicole Hosp (31 years and 89 days on day of Super G) and Elisabeth Görgl (33 years and 348 days). Information provided by Hosp and Mancuso poised for medal in record-equalling fifth World Championships > Nicole Hosp and Julia Mancuso have won a medal in four different World Championships and can both equal the women's record of winning a medal in five different editions (including Team event). > Hosp has won a medal in every discipline except Super G. She can become the second person to win a medal in all six events following Anja Pärson (Alpine Combined and Combination counted as one). International Ski Federation Infostrada Sports on Twitter Information provided by www.fis-ski.com @InfostradaGold