Ruka-Kuusamo hosts inaugural MoonPay X Games League Winter Championship Finals
The new global winter league will culminate in Finnish Lapland from 9 to 11 April 2027, bringing world-class freeskiing, snowboarding and live music to Ruka Ski Resort.
Forty athletes, five women and five men per club, will be selected from an international pool of eligible freeskiers and snowboarders at the MoonPay X Games League Winter Draft in Los Angeles on 16 September 2026.
Events and schedule: Aspen 29–31 Jan 2027, Calgary 19–21 Feb 2027, Ruka 9–11 Apr 2027
Disciplines at Ruka: Superpipe, Big Air, Slopestyle and Knuckle Huck (all disciplines in both skiing and snowboarding for men and women)
Winter series prize money: Over two million dollars
History of X Games: The first Summer Games were held in 1995 and the first Winter Games in 1997. The winter of 2027 marks the very first MoonPay X Games League for Winter.
The draft pool includes several prominent Nordic and Baltic athletes, including Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut, Jesper Tjäder, Jennie-Lee Burmansson and Axel Burmansson, Norway’s Birk Ruud, Marcus Kleveland, Mons Røisland and Fridtjof Tischendorf, Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru, and Finland’s Anni Kärävä and Elias Syrjä.
Read more about the MoonPay X Games League: www.xgamesruka.com and www.xgames.com
Ticket sales start on Ticketmaster on 16 September 2026 at 10 AM.
Pre-sale for Ruka Ski Resort loyalty customers starts on Mon 14 Sep 2026 at 19:00 and runs until 16 Sep 2026 at 09:00. Join the loyalty club now!
Book Ski-Inn accommodation for the event
MoonPay X Games League on social media:
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What is the MoonPay X Games League?
The X Games League (XGL) is a brand-new year-round global league where men and women compete together in the same teams – with equal prize pools. More information in our press release: Ruka-Kuusamo hosts inaugural MoonPay X Games League Winter Championship Finals
Previous European editions of X Games winter events have been held in France and Norway. The MoonPay X Games League championship coming to Finland is in a league of its own in scale, as events of this magnitude have never been held outside of Aspen. Over two million dollars in prize money will be awarded during the season. X Games has awarded equal prize money to female and male athletes since 2008.
The winter series athlete draft will be held in Los Angeles on 16 September at 7 PM local time (17 September at 5 AM Finnish time). The Finnish athletes selected for the draft include freeskiers Anni Kärävä, Elias Syrjä, Jon Sallinen, Juho Saastamoinen and Kuura Koivisto, and snowboarder Rene Rinnekangas. Follow the draft live here: Where to Watch the X Games Online and TV
