Emma Dahlstrom will be one to watch when the slopestyle season begins ©Getty Images

The opening International Ski Federation (FIS) Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle World Cup will begin tomorrow in Font Romeu in France - the first of five events this season.

A host of big names will be taking part at the event in the Pyrenees, which begins the qualification process for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

However, the defending overall World Cup champion Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway will be sidelined with injury when the women's competition begins proceedings tomorrow.

That means Sweden's former Winter X-Games champion Emma Dahlstrom could be the one to beat after already claiming three FIS Big Air World Cup podium finishes this season, including gold in El Colorado in Chile in September.

She tops the World Cup rankings in the discipline, but Germany's Lisa Zimmerman will be another challenger after a Big Air victory of her own in Italian city Milan.

Canada will be led by the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games gold and bronze medalists - Dara Howell and Kim Lamarre respectively.

The Swiss duo of Giulia Tanno and Mathilde Gremaud will also be in contention in Font Remeu, while French slopestyle specialist Colline Ballet-Baz will hope for a good showing on home snow.

Overall defending slopestyle champion Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway will miss out through injury ©Getty Images
Overall defending slopestyle champion Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway will miss out through injury ©Getty Images

After the women's competition tomorrow, the men will take centre stage on Friday (January 14).

Switzerland's Andri Ragettli is the defending champion.

It will be a busy weekend of freestyle skiing World Cup action, with men's and women's moguls events also beginning tomorrow in Lake Placid in the United States.

Canada's Mikaël Kingsbury and Australia's Britteny Cox won the men's and women's events respectively at the opening leg of the season in Finnish resort Ruka in December, and will be looking to make it two wins from two.

The ski-cross season will continue in Watles in Italy, where Canada's Marielle Thompson will be looking to build on her three World Cup victories already this season.

She tops the standings, with France's Jean Frederic Chapuis claiming a pair of victories so far to lead the way in the men's competition. 

A snowboard slopestyle World Cup will also begin tomorrow in Kreischberg in Austria.

After the conclusion of the moguls action in Lake Placid, an aerials World Cup will begin from Saturday.