As the last of the major FIS World Cup 2009/10 series to get underway, competition in the FIS Freestyle World Cup will begin this week at Suomu (FIN). The two season opening mogul competitions will take place on 11th-12th December, following in the heels of two European Cup competitions already staged there last week. Suomu thus also stages the second World Cup mogul event originally scheduled in Méribel (FRA) for 16th December, which had to be cancelled due to warm weather.
The Suomu fell is located on the Arctic Circle, 42 km from the town of Kemijärvi. Almost half of the World Cup teams already arrived at Suomu for the EC competitions and have been training on the race slope. In Finland, too, it has been unseasonably warm, so snowmaking took longer than expected. "The temperatures were above zero for a long time. Yet a good course was available already for the European Cup events", commented Kari Miettunen, Chief of Competition.
Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO Peter Judge remarked from Finland: "Under cold December skies with light snow falling and the Christmas season fast approaching it is only fitting that the Olympic campaign kicks off for Freestyle on the Arctic Circle, just a few kilometers from Santa's workshop."
