Ruka Nordic 2026: Three sports, one weekend

From 27 to 29 November 2026, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping will come together in Ruka. The Nordic Opening marks the start of the World Cup season in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined, while the ski jumping winter has already begun in Lillehammer. Start times, TV coverage and results are available on the Ruka venue page.

The days and competitions follow the Höhenmeter calendar, while the times come from the organiser's provisional schedule. The table lists Finnish local time first, followed by CET. Classic means skiing in the tracks, while freestyle allows the skating technique.

In Nordic combined, the Compact pairs ski jumping with a race at set starting intervals. In the Gundersen, the ski jumping result determines the deficit for the race. On Sunday, the race comes before the ski jumping. For your visit, this also means considering when to move between the venues.

The Rukatunturi hill has a hill size of 142 metres and a K-point of 120 metres. Hill size describes the size of the hill; the K-point is a reference used for distance scoring.

In the cross-country races, the programme itself shows the different demands: individual starts, sprints and mass starts each require a different race strategy. For a complete picture, it is therefore worth seeing more than a single finish. How dependent the schedule remains on conditions was shown in 2025: the second men's ski jumping competition and the Nordic combined mass start were cancelled because of strong winds.

In the men's cross-country individual start, Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo are interesting as first and second in Ruka 2025. Harald Østberg Amundsen completes the selection as the winner of the mass start at the venue that year. In the sprint, Klæbo, Erik Valnes and Ansgar Evensen are in focus after their Ruka one-two-three in 2025. For the mass start, Amundsen and Edvin Anger also feature as the former winner and third-place finisher. Klæbo won the overall World Cup and distance World Cup in 2025/26.

For the women's individual start, the three names are Frida Karlsson, Heidi Weng and Moa Ilar: the 2025 podium. In the sprint, the leading places that year point to Kristine Stavås Skistad, Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist. In the mass start, Sundling, the previous year's winner, and Weng, who finished third that year, are the ones to watch. Karlsson completes the selection with her World Cup win over the long freestyle distance in Oslo in March.

For all three Nordic combined races, Johannes Lamparter, Julian Schmid and Ilkka Herola are the names from this review. Lamparter won the Compact and Gundersen in Ruka in 2025, while Schmid finished second in both. Herola stood on the podium in third in the Compact.

For both men's ski jumping competitions, the preview focuses on Anže Lanišek, Ren Nikaidō and Domen Prevc. They made up the Ruka podium in 2025. The selection applies as of 22 October and remains subject to later nominations. In particular, the teams from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are not yet confirmed as a starting list.

The organiser distinguishes between several ticket areas. The A grandstand is at the end of the finishing straight; the area ticket provides access to spectator points along the trails, among other places. Check your ticket for the permitted changes between cross-country and ski jumping competitions. It is better to choose a race day based on the events you are most interested in than to see every discipline only in passing.

From Germany and Austria, you can plan a flight via Helsinki to Kuusamo. Ruka-Kuusamo also lists rail connections to Oulu, Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi, followed by a bus journey. By car, one route from Helsinki follows National Road 5 towards Kuusamo. Check flight days and connections for your travel dates.

For getting to the stadium, the organiser recommends the SkiBus between Kuusamo and Ruka. Spectator car parks include those on Talvijärventie and at the school. Allow extra time to travel from your accommodation to the entrance you have chosen.

Your own outing is better suited to a separate day.

Choose an approved route suited to your ability. Compare accommodation based on the route to the right trail access point and spectator entrance.