It marks the first leg of the Olympic season in the discipline, which will make its debut on the Winter Games programme at Pyeongchang 2018.

Qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang will be on offer during the course of the campaign, with the Games scheduled to take place from February 9 to 25.

Reigning world champion Gasser is among the entrants in a strong women's field at the event in the Italian capital, due to take place at the EXPerience Park, a former area of Expo Milan 2015.

The 26-year-old, who also won the slopestyle gold medal at the Winter X Games in Hafjell earlier this year, is competing alongside Olympic Slopestyle gold medallist Jamie Anderson of the United States and Britain's Katie Ormerod.

Other snowboarders expected to challenge for victory at the season-opener include Canadian duo Spencer O’Brien and Laurie Blouin and American Julia Marino.

The men's event is likely to be a more open affair as last season's Big Air World Cup winner Marcus Kleveland of Norway has not entered the competition.

Seppe Smits of Belgium, last year's runner-up, is among the favourites to triumph in Milan.

Finland's Roope Tonteri, the 2015 world champion, Canada's Antoine Truchon and Michael Ciccarelli and Russians Anton Mamaev and Vlad Khadarin will also hope to begin the campaign with victory.

The venue in the Italian city was ranked as the favourite among the athletes after it staged its inaugural World Cup event last year.