FIS Freestyle World Cup starts in Ruka

The FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup season is poised will start this weekend in Ruka, Finland, with the inaugural moguls and aerials competitions marking the first step of a thrilling season with Canadians as the main favourites.

This year marks the 14th consecutive season opener for FIS Freestyle in Ruka, a testament to the enduring success of the Freestyle Opening Ruka World Cup event. Enthusiasts can expect another round of exceptional competition under the lights of Ruka, signalling a vibrant start to the 2023/24 campaign.

Since 2019, the Freestyle Opening Ruka has expanded to include the aerials field alongside the traditional moguls season opener. For the fourth year in a row, the world's best aerials and moguls athletes will gather in Ruka for an exhilarating start to the World Cup.

Ruka is a renowned venue among World Cup competitors, renowned for its world-class pre-season training facilities. Year after year, Ruka's organisers have created five-star courses, and this season is no exception. The moguls 'battery run' and the aerials venue are ready to host the world's elite freestyle skiers.

Mikaël Kingsbury is one of the main stars of freestyle skiing. © Getty Images
Mikaël Kingsbury is one of the main stars of freestyle skiing. © Getty Images

For an insight into who to watch this weekend, check out our season preview from earlier this week. Saturday's moguls competition will begin with the women's qualification at 12:15 local time, followed by the men's qualification at 14:30. The finals, which will be held under the lights, will begin at 17:15.

Sunday's aerials competition will begin with the women's qualification at 11:20 local time, followed by the men's qualification at 14:00. The finals will take place in the afternoon at 16:00. As usual, there will be extensive TV coverage and streaming on FIS TV.

In the last edition, Canada won the Nations Cup with 7,324 points, followed by the United States (5,564) and Switzerland (4,134). 

And here are the winners of the 2022-23 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup:

-Ski Cross: Reece Howden (Canada) and Sandra Näslund (Sweden).

-Overall Moguls: Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada) and Perrine Laffont (France).

-Moguls: Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada) and Jakara Anthony (Australia).

-Dual Moguls: Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada) and Perrine Laffont (France).

-Aerials: Noé Roth (Switzerland) and Danielle Scott (Australia).

-Park & Pipe Overall: Birk Ruud (Norway) and Johanne Killi (Norway).

-Halfpipe: Birk Irving (United States) and Rachael Karker (Canada).

-Slopestyle: Birk Ruud (Norway) and Johanne Killi (Norway).

-Big Air: Birk Ruud (Norway) and Tess Ledeuz (France).