The Super Bowl XLIV will take place at the Dolphin Stadium (formerly Land Shark Stadium), Miami Gardens in South Florida on Sunday 7th February 2010 with the British group, The Who, playing at half time. It has already been decided that Dallas will host the 2011 Super Bowl at The Cowboys Stadium.

With a capacity of over 75,000, the Dolphin Stadium will host the most popular American Football matches of the season. It was reported that the Super Bowl in 2009 was watched by 98.7 viewers when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 at the Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.

In the lead up to this major event, on Saturday 6th February, the gates will open at 4pm for a free outdoor live concert commencing at 8pm, followed by a Super Bowl fireworks spectacular lasting about 20 minutes.  This event will not take place in the stadium but on South Beach in Fort Lauderdale.  A ticketless event, special shuttle buses running from local parking garages to the concert site.

American Football fanatics will love the build up to the Super Bowl when the National Football League playoffs run from next week, starting on 9th January and lasting a month. The Wild Card Round will be played on the 9th and 10th January, with the Divisional Playoffs commencing on the 16th January.  The AFC (American Football Conference Championship Game) and NFC Championship Games (National Football Conference) will then be played on Sunday 24th February.

The NFC Championship Game is one of the two semi final playoffs with the winning team receiving the Georges Halas Trophy.  The AFC is the other semi final match and the winners receive the Lamar Hunt Trophy. 

So who will win the NFC? The South winner, New Orleans Saints, North winners Minnesota Viking, East winner Dallas Cowboys, West winner Arizona Cardinals or the Green Bay Packers or Philadelphia Eagles? And the AFC? Indianapolis Colts, South winners, West winner San Diego Chargers, East winner New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals the North winner or the New York Jets or Baltimore Ravens?

Tickets to the Super Bowl are still available but do expect to pay from USD1,700/£1,060!

A great sport for bringing likeminded people together, young or old, experienced and novice – it is the season to snowboard!

Information about snowboarding holidays has increased dramatically over the past few years with tour operators and travel companies recognising that skiers and snowboarders have different needs and require different facilities, such as the amount of off piste available to explore and the quality or number of snow parks.

Learner snowboarders should look for a ski resort with plenty of beginner ski slopes and a snowboard school offering lessons, with a snowboard park being a bonus.  Look at resorts like Fernie, Canada and Killington, USA, Pal in Andorra, Hemsedal in Norway or Risoul in France.  When first experiencing snowboarding, hire your snowboard equipment; boots and board to start with, and wear a helmet, bum pads, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards. Your snowboard trousers and jacket should be waterproof as well as insulated as you may spend a fair bit of time to begin with, on your bottom!

Freeriders will find a piece of heaven off piste area around Alpe d’Huez, France with Les Deux Alpes superb for tricksters with its fun park and half pipe, as well as boarder cross.  In the Trois (3) Valleys ski area there are four half pipes, two quarter pipes, boarder cross and rails. If the mountain resorts are too busy for you, try the exhilarating experience of Heli Snowboarding particularly popular in Switzerland and Canada. Jump in a helicopter and fly to a far off mountain – alternatively Cat Boarding is more reliable during extreme weather conditions.

Other great Snowboarding resorts include St Anton in Austria, Whistler/Blackcomb, Canada, Mammouth Mountain, USA, Chamonix in France and Verbier in Switzerland.

Ski in the USA and you could be hairing down the wide, well kept, snow covered slopes of Mammoth Mountain, taking a step back in time in the Victorian mining town and excellent ski resort of Breckenridge or admiring spectacular scenery and chilling out in cowboy salons in Jackson Hole. The largest ski area in Eastern USA is Killington, Vermont with Vail a very popular purpose built yet attractive and stylish ski resort in the state of Colorado in central USA. A superb USA ski resort for all abilities of skier or snowboarder is Copper Bowl which is close to Breckenridge, and Keystone which is well known for offering 12 hours of daylight skiing!

You’ll never have a problem with the language when on a ski holiday in USA and you’ll be familiar with the food, which like most of the US, is available in abundance and perfect to enjoy after a hard day on the slopes! The lift systems are well run in the USA ski resorts and the mountain terrain is extraordinary.

If looking for ski holidays in Eastern USA you could head to New Hampshire and combine a ski holiday with a city break in Boston, Massachusetts. With a fly drive ski holiday, you can be in the New Hampshire ski area within two hours drive from Boston with ski accommodation in Black Mountain or Wildcat Mountain, Jackson or Loon Mountain, Lincoln. The US state of Vermont runs along the eastern Canadian border and is where you could be skiing in the nearly unspoiled winter resort of Magic Mountain or skiing between six mountains and Pico Mountain from Killington.

Fly into Denver for ski holidays in Colorado where you can stay in Aspen, Vail, Copper Mountain, Snowmass, Winter Park and Steamboat. Skiing in Aspen and Snowmass in Roaring Fork Valley, offers the perfect snow conditions and terrain for good intermediate and advanced skiers, with the opportunity with one ticket to also ski or board in Buttermilk. Beaver Creek is a luxury resort and where you will discover three freestyle parks for skiers and boarders. Copper Mountain is just 75 miles west of Denver and known as “Colorado’s Perfect Ski Mountain” and “Friendliest Resort”. Snowboarders and skiers of all abilities and ages will love Copper Mountain with excellent ski and après ski facilities. Breckenridge with it fantastic dining, shops and some of the best terrain parks in the world, is a two hours drive along the I-70 from Denver International Airport and just over 100 miles from Colorado Springs Airport.

In Western USA if you would like to ski in California, how about staying in South Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountains, Squaw Valley or Northstar?

Now is the time to book your ski holidays and snowboarding vacations, as January is renowned as the most popular time to book winter breaks in the white stuff and tour operators can be difficult to contact!

Cheap ski holidays in France are the most popular with UK holiday makers, and there are fantastic family chalet offers, plenty of low cost group ski holiday locations, cosy mountainside ski hotel deals, as well as luxury ski holidays.

Check snow reports for France and you will currently see that the French ski resorts of Argentiere, Val Thorens and Tignes are boasting the deepest snow, with Alpe d’Huez, Chamonix, Flaine, La Clusaz, Les Arcs, Les Deux Alpes, Megeve and Serre Chevalier due to open soon with more snow forecast in the next few days.

Great ski resorts for beginner skiers include Valmorel in France which is also a fantastic traffic free village ideal for family ski holidays, Bankso in Bulgaria which offers great value for money, Soldeu in Andorra with many bars and 200km of pistes, and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia which also offers plenty of après ski facilities and cross country skiing routes. In the Italian Dolomites, Cortina is a popular resort for first time or nervous skiers and in the USA, Killington on the east coast, has large nursery slopes.

Advance skiers will find all they want in the French resort of Chamonix! At the foot of the Alps, ski holidays in Chamonix offer extreme off piste skiing during the day with trendy, sophisticated bars for a partying nightlife. Turn your back on the well groomed slopes of Whistler, Heavenly and Snowbird and head off piste to experience the exhilaration of discovering untouched mountainsides.

Best resorts for snowboarding include Tignes and Val Thorens in France, St Anton and Soldeu in Austria, Saas Fee and Verbier in Switzerland, Banff in Canada and Breckenridge in USA. Discover snow parks with jumps ad pipes or fantastic off piste freeriding. Learner boarders should head to Risoul in France or Copper Mountain in USA.

So what will January 2010 have in store for you?

For January holiday ideas how about a relaxing January holiday in the sun or a sporting January holiday in the snow? A city break for January shopping or a spa break in a luxury hotel?

Already (30 November) Canada is reporting superb snow conditions in Kicking Horse and Fernie with ski resorts in the USA opening in the next few weeks. By January you can almost confirm that there will be fantastic snow in North America for skiing and snowboarding, but do be prepared for the cold weather with extra thermals!

In Europe the snow has started to fall and for January ski holidays you should be able to have the pick of almost any ski resort…  Norway and Sweden are perfect for family skiing holidays in January, with France, Austria and Switzerland offering a mixture of popular ski resorts and quaint characterful villages in the Alps and surrounding mountain ranges.

From ice to sun!  How about a luxury January holiday on the gorgeous Indian Ocean island of Mauritius off the south east coast of Africa, to escape the winter in Europe? January in Mauritius is part of the summer season but head to the east coast and the beautiful Belle Mare Beach (home to many luxury spa resort hotels), is where you should enjoy a cooling breeze. Dramatic forests combine with white sandy lagoons and staggering long soft stretches of beaches in Mauritius, perfect for relaxing family holidays or romantic honeymoons. Visit the Black River Gorges National Park, hike the Central Plateau and Black River, picnic on Blue Bay Beach or take a gentle stroll along the coast at Trou aux Biches.

For a January city break idea, how about historic St Petersburg in Russia, close to the Baltic Sea? There will be a guaranteed chill in the air, but wrap up as warm as the natives, and you’ll have no problem exploring the State Hermitage area on the River Neva, shopping in Nevsky Prospekt, visiting the breath taking Russian Orthodox cathedrals with a break at the Vodka Museum.

A January holiday idea closer to home, could mean spending a weekend break in London, England’s capital. Prebook tickets to ice skate at Somerset House, Hampton Court or at the Tower of London Ice Rinks, or tickets for a show or lively Christmas pantomime! Join the shoppers in Oxford Street and Regent Street for the January Sales or whilst in London in January, take a tour along the River Thames, followed by a visit to one of the city’s magnificent museums such as the Science Museum or Natural Museum.

The Canary Islands and Madeira are only a few hours flight away from the UK and during January are popular spots for a little warmth and wide empty beaches too.