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Australia's aerials world champion Laura Peel has finished fourth at the World Cup in Finland, with Chinese skiers dominating ahead of next year's Olympics.

Australian aerials ace Laura Peel has narrowly missed the World Cup podium in Finland as Chinese skiers showed they will be a force at next year's Beijing Winter Olympics.

World champion Peel and fellow Australians Danielle Scott and Abbey Willcox opened the World Cup season in Ruka in northern Finland overnight.

Canberra skier Peel finished fourth, with China's Kong Fanyu, the Pyeongchang Olympic bronze medallist, winning gold.

Kazakhstan's Zhanbota Aldabergenova and China's Qi Shao tied for second, both ending with an identical score of 80.04.

The Chinese contingent didn't compete internationally in the 2020-21 season due to the COVID pandemic but had four athletes place in the top six in an ominous sign ahead of the February Games.

Scott, who finished fourth at this year's world championships, was second after qualifying behind another Chinese entry Xu Mengtao, with Peel ninth.

With 12 skiers advancing to the first final Peel nailed her jump to move up to first place.

But she couldn't hold top spot in the top-six skier medal round.

Scott narrowly missed that final, placing eighth, while Willcox was 14th.

The skiers will contest another World Cup at the same venue over the weekend while Australia's mogul freestyle skiers, including Olympic medallist Matt Graham, will line up for their first World Cup, also in Ruka.