Winter X Games is coming to Ruka, Finland in April 2027

April in Ruka means plenty of snow and long, bright spring days. When X Games arrives in 2027, northern Finland will already enjoy around 15 hours of daylight. Pictured is Max Sallinen riding in Ruka Park. Photo: Arttu Heikkinen.

X Games is expanding into a three-stop winter league in 2027. The season starts in Aspen, Colorado, continues in Calgary, Canada, and reaches its grand finale in Ruka, Finland, where the first X Games League Winter champions will be crowned.

The four clubs will compete in Superpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air and Knuckle Huck, with events for both freeskiers and snowboarders, men and women.

For Finland, the event is a milestone. This will be the first time the country hosts a major Winter X Games competition – and Ruka will provide a distinctly Finnish setting for the season finale.

Spring skiing with 15 hours of daylight

For international visitors, April in northern Finland may hold a surprise: winter is far from over.

Ruka is located in northern Finland, close to the Arctic Circle, and April is prime spring skiing season. There is still plenty of snow, but the dark days of midwinter are long gone.

Daylight increases rapidly in northern Finland during spring. By the time X Games arrives in Ruka, the day is already around 15 hours long.

And if the sun decides to join the Games, nature will put on a light show of its own. Bright spring sunshine, white snow and long northern evenings create conditions that are very different from the deep blue darkness many international visitors associate with Finnish winter.

It is a combination that could make the Finnish X Games finale memorable both on and off the competition venues.

World-class action sports in northern Finland

Ruka has a long history of hosting international winter sports at the highest level. The resort has organized FIS World Cup competitions in freestyle skiing and Nordic disciplines for decades, while its parks and training facilities regularly attract top skiers and snowboarders from around the world.

The scale of X Games, however, takes things to another level. The event will be broadcast around the world, bringing international attention not only to Ruka but also to skiing and snowboarding in Finland.

“Bringing X Games to Ruka is a major milestone for Finnish winter sports. We want to provide world-class conditions for the athletes and an experience for the fans that combines top-level competition with an authentic northern spring,” says Antti Kärävä, CEO of Ruka Ski Resort.

As the final stop of the winter season, Ruka will also decide the championship. The four X Games League clubs will arrive in Finland with the season title on the line.

Ruka will develop its Superpipe, Slopestyle, Big Air and Knuckle Huck venues for X Games. The investments will also strengthen the resort’s training facilities for international freeskiers and snowboarders long after the championship weekend.

More than a competition

The X Games weekend is about more than freeskiing and snowboarding. The event will also feature live music and festival experiences, with X Fest bringing the distinctive X Games atmosphere to the resort.

For visitors, this means three days of world-class competition combined with spring skiing, music and the relaxed atmosphere of a Finnish ski resort.

“We believe the best winter memories are created together. We want to build an event where the performances of the world’s best athletes meet the unique atmosphere of spring in the Finnish fells,” Kärävä says.

The combination promises something Finland has never seen before: the world’s biggest action sports stars competing for a championship title under the bright skies of the northern spring.

Key facts: MoonPay X Games League Winter Season 2027

• Aspen, Colorado: January 29–31, 2027
• Calgary, Canada: February 19–21, 2027
• Ruka, Finland: April 9–11, 2027
• Disciplines in Ruka: Superpipe, Big Air, Slopestyle and Knuckle Huck in both freeskiing and snowboarding
• Winter season prize purse: More than USD 2 million
• Ruka 2027: The championship finale of the inaugural MoonPay X Games League Winter Season