I'm 13 and I would like to know how long it would take me to become a professional snowboarder. I'm not experienced at all.
Jennie

Danny Burrows replies: You need to be dedicated, and that means spending as much time as possible on your board. Sadly, being trapped in the 'flatlands' of Britain, the only options open to you are dry slopes or one of the growing number of indoor slopes. The latter are preferable as their 'real snow' surfaces replicate the feel of the natural stuff. They are also much more forgiving on the body's extremities. Nearly all provide instruction. Take a couple of lessons and build on the basics with the crew of new friends you will invariably make. Additionally, watch videos of professionals and adapt their skills to your own personal style. It is the personal touch that will get you noticed by companies who sponsor snowboarders.

Useful contacts: For a guide to dry slopes on the web go to: dryslope.co.uk/doing.htm. For the British Snowboarding Association, thebsa.org.

· For our son's 18th birthday we have told him he can choose between a snowboarding holiday with a friend, or a party. He picked the boarding. He is a sporadic but proficient boarder. We want to find somewhere with good boarding, a lively scene (but not too lively), with a company that will make sure they don't miss the plane.
Antony J Hooker

Danny Burrows replies: If you are looking for a package holiday, Thomson Holidays offers a well-rounded service that covers accommodation, airport transfers and flights. It has two outposts, in Serre Chevalier and Alpe d'Huez, where your son and his friend can test all the latest equipment from K2, a leading producer of equipment. Both resorts have fun parks and pipes as well as expansive rideable terrain and an active nightlife - although I cannot guarantee the excesses this extends to... If you can get your son and his friend out to Alpe d'Huez for March 18 to 20, they will have the opportunity to meet and ride with Lesley McKenna and Melanie Leando, two of the top women in British snowboarding. Useful contact: Thomson Snowboarding Holidays (0870 606 1470, thomsonski.co.uk).