Together to the World’s Top: Rukakeskus and the Finnish Snowboard Association Sign a Four-Year Extension Agreement
Published: 05 November 2026
Rukakeskus Oy and the Finnish Snowboard Association are continuing their long-term cooperation with a four-year agreement. Snowboarders are already training this week in the Ruka Premium Park, which will gather top names from the World Cup and X Games from around the world during the winter season.
The 2025–2026 Olympic winter strengthened Ruka’s international appeal as a training centre for elite freestyle skiers and snowboarders. Ruka’s strengths include a long training season, early training conditions made possible by snow farming, and high-quality, versatile training facilities. Thanks to these and investments made in elite sports, Ruka was selected as the venue for the MoonPay X Games winter series championship event.
Alongside internationalisation, it is important for Rukakeskus to create first-class conditions for Finnish snowboarders, freeskiers and mogul skiers. The four-year extension agreement signed with the Finnish Snowboard Association supports the development and success opportunities of Finnish riders on international arenas.
– My own history at Ruka began back in 1995, when I trained there as a national team athlete. It has been great to see how Ruka’s conditions and international significance have developed over the years. Four years ago, joint training between the Finnish and Canadian snowboard national teams kicked off the development of Premium Park, and since then international cooperation has grown year by year. The Snowboard Association has been actively bringing world tops to Ruka. The new four-year agreement creates even better opportunities for Finnish riders to develop to the top of the world, says Annukka Himmi Vassoney, Executive Director of the Finnish Snowboard Association.
Dennis Larkiala training in Premium Park. Photo: Henri Laakkonen / Finnish Snowboard Association
Training in the home country saves energy for sport
The growing interest from international teams and top riders reinforces Ruka’s position as one of Europe’s significant freestyle training centres. Already in the autumn, alongside the Finnish national team, many international top athletes train at Ruka, and during the first weeks of 2027, the British national team led by Mia Brookes, among others, will arrive in the fell scenery. Mogul skiers also enjoy training at Ruka before the World Cup at the beginning of December.
The planning and implementation of Premium Park place a special focus on the quality, versatility and safety of the facilities.
– We have been developing the park for over 30 years in co-operation with riders. It is important for us to be able to offer top conditions in various disciplines from beginner to professional, and the long-term cooperation with Ski Sport Finland and the Finnish Snowboard Association is of paramount importance to us. We are glad that our long-term cooperation will continue through the renewed agreement with the Snowboard Association. The upcoming season looks promising, and our international sales are in strong growth. The park riding season culminates in the spring with the X Games championship event, says Otto Lintunen, Director of Events and Slope Experiences at Rukakeskus Oy.
– Ruka’s conditions are of very great significance to the Finnish snowboard national team. We are able to train in great conditions in our home country with the whole team before the start of the competition season and avoid burdensome travelling. Energy can be directed into training and development itself. Ruka’s training camps make it possible to integrate the team’s expert operations into the athletes' everyday life, and we can implement high-quality physical and discipline training in a familiar environment. Ruka’s agreement is a clear competitive advantage for us that enables great conditions to support development, says Olli Cajan, High Performance Director of the Finnish Snowboard Association.
