Ski Jumping World Cup kicks off in Kuusamo

Starting this Friday, ski jumpers will also be vying for valuable World Cup points and qualification for the Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, the highlight of this winter’s sporting calendar.

The season gets under way with a team event in Kuusamo, where the World Cup has traditionally opened for years. The individual event in Kuusamo follows tomorrow, with Martin Schmitt, Georg Späth, Michael Uhrmann and Michael Neumayer all competing for World Cup points for the first time. Local hero Janne Ahonen of Finland made an impressive comeback, winning Thursday’s qualification after a year away from the World Cup. However, the qualification round had to be called off shortly before the end due to excessively strong tailwinds and rescheduled for today.

Date: 30/09/2026

Hotels and ski hotels in Kuusamo have been bustling for days, as ski-jumping fans from across Europe could hardly wait for the World Cup opener in Finland. Weather permitting, the first jumper is due to take off at 5:30 p.m. Today’s team event, in which each nation fields four ski jumpers, is widely seen as the final test of form under competitive conditions before the World Cup gets fully under way with tomorrow’s individual event.

For German winter sports fans, the World Cup event in Willingen, Hesse, is considered the ultimate highlight alongside the Olympic Games in Vancouver. Winter sports and après-ski are closer together at hardly any World Cup venue than at the ski hotels in Willingen. Those who act quickly and book a day pass or season pass for ski jumping in Willingen by November 30 inclusive—that is, next Monday—can enjoy an early-booking discount when purchasing tickets. The Ski Jumping World Cup in Willingen takes place from February 5 to 7, 2010, featuring individual and team events.