Ruka to kick off Freestyle World Cup as Olympic race heats up
Dec 05, 2025·Freestyle
Another World Cup season beckons, and fans and keen watchers can count on one thing: Ruka will set the tone for the 2025-26 FIS Freestyle World Cup.
Ruka has long been relied upon to start each season, given the location’s experience in hosting top-tier events and its dependable early-winter conditions.
When things get underway on 6 December, it will mark the 16th straight year the Ruka Ski Resort is hosting some of the world’s most elite freestyle skiers.
With a packed season ahead, Ruka will feature both the Moguls and Aerials this year, with aerialists first to take the hills.
This year, however, competition comes with something “extra”.
This season, a lot more than Crystal Globes are on the line. Sport’s biggest prize and grandest stage beckons mid-season, when the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games takes place in February.
Ruka will host one of the last qualifiers leading up to the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, where athletes can pick up precious points to earn their spots.
For Moguls, an extra event has been added to extend the competition weekend into Monday, 8 December.
Eyes will be on last season’s top performers, particularly “King of Moguls” Mikael Kingsbury (CAN). The Canadian delivered a stellar report card last season, winning Crystal Globes in Moguls, Dual Moguls and Overall Moguls.
But another World Cup win will carry more significance than usual if it comes in Finland: the 33-year-old is on the cusp of his 100th.
Likewise, last season’s triple Crystal Globe winner Jaelin Kauf (USA) will look to start on a bright note.
But there is no shortage of stiff competition in the women’s field, with Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont (FRA) and a returning Jakara Anthony (AUS) – the 2022 Olympic champion missed most of the 2024/25 season due to a broken collarbone, but is no doubt raring to go and has declared herself “back to 100 per cent”.
In the Aerials competition, China will once again be expected to field its deep squad of excellent aerialists.
Reigning Olympic champion and last season’s Crystal Globe winner Qi Guangpu (CHN) can always be depended on for excellence, but he would expect to be given a run for his money by Noé Roth (SUI).
The Swiss star has made the podium at the last four editions of the world championships, and enters this season as back-to-back Aerials champion.
“Training this summer was really good for me,” Roth said. “I had a very good summer. Just pushing a little more on the DD (degree of difficulty) now and we’re good, ready, and really excited.
“For me, for now, four twists, then we’ll see how we go. Maybe five in China, or something like that. But for sure, going to be ready with five for Italy.
On the women’s side, Laura Peel (AUS) showed last season that she has no intention of slowing down. The 36-year-old was the undisputed champion after standing top of the podium five times.
She said: “It’s going to be a big year. Everyone’s been pushing. I’m really excited to see the women and see how many women we have there on the triples. Obviously, we’re building, not trying to peak here, but in February, but really excited to see what’s to come.
“I reckon we could definitely see a full superfinal (with triples) – that would be pretty cool.”
If experience is going to count over a high-octane season, then surely Xu Mengtao (CHN) cannot be discounted. The 35-year-old and reigning Olympic champion, in line for her fifth Games, also performed well last season after finishing second to Peel.
To dig deeper, read our season previews (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), which cover all you need to know across the season’s various stops.
Competition on Saturday will begin with Aerials women’s qualifications at 11:00 local time, followed by men’s qualifications at 14:00. Finals will take place from 16:45.
Moguls competition takes place after that.
On Sunday, it starts with women’s qualifications at 11:45 local time, followed by the men's at 14:30. Finals then begin from 17:30.
On Monday, women’s qualifications start at 10:45, followed by the men’s at 13:30. Finals start from 16:30.
Who is ready for a thrilling season with an Olympic Games on the horizon? We are.
WATCH LIVE
TV broadcasts will be available for fans to follow the action live, while there will also be live streaming on FIS TV.
Here are the links and information about geo-restrictions –
Saturday, 6 December
Sunday, 7 December
Monday, 8 December
Please note that due to broadcasting rights restrictions, live streaming availability may be limited in certain regions.
However, the livestream for the finals is accessible in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Singapore, and South Korea. For the qualifications, the livestream is available globally, with the exception of geo-restrictions in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
QUICK LINKS
Ruka World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc)
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