As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Okay, let's see what you guys can come up on this topic!
Here's why I'm asking: we are going to Gatlinburg this summer and I know that at Ober Gatlinburg there is an ice skating rink. So I'm planning on using that opportunity to help Joshua work on his ice skating award for Cub Scouts. (We're also going to go bowling in Pigeon Forge, for his bowling award. I figure we should take advantage of being in areas that offer different opportunities than what we can get locally.) However, Ober Gatlinburg doesn't do skiing during the summer - they have snow machines but they only use them to "assist" the natural snowfall in the regular snowskiing season.
Now, looking forward to next summer's vacation ... not sure where we're going yet. Originally we had thought back to Myrtle Beach since we enjoyed it on our last trip, which was also our first trip there. But we might end up going somewhere else if we could tie in some activities to Cub Scouting. Especially if it's something we might not ever have the chance to do again. (Myrtle Beach will always be there, but Cub Scouts won't last much longer!)
So, I was wondering whether there might be any ski resorts that offer some type of skiing during the summer. I know the whole resort wouldn't be open, but do any have any artificial snow in a small section, like for basic lessons, or something like that? Preferably in the Eastern US, but we'd also consider something out West as well. I know it's probably a long shot, but I thought I'd ask and see. Thanks for your help!
Not that I'm aware of!! I'm so bummed.....the ski mountain in our town already closed down for the season, and they still have close to a foot base if not more!! I was looking forward to skiing this weekend!!
We've been to Lake Tahoe in the summer, but even there, there was no skiing. You could still see snow on the peaks, but that was about it! Most of the ski resorts (around here anyway) turn to mountain biking in the summer, the lifts take the bikers up to the top and they bike down, or you can ride to the top to enjoy the view!
Hi Christiejay, I'm not aware of any ski resorts that have artifical snow in the northeastern US. Alot of them turn into summer activity resorts...
I'm not sure how feasible it would be for you , however, a friend of mine spent last summer in Chile and Argentina and was able to get a lot of skiing in down there. Padagonia i believe is the area.
Apparently our summer is their winter and vice versa...hope this helps.
I think there is place in Japan that offers indoor skiing. If you are willing to hike up, you can also ski Tuckerman's ravine on Mt. Washington in the summer, but it is quite dangerous even for expert skiiers. Most resorts don't make snow in the summer-it would just melt-you need it to be cold enough so that the snow they make at night is still there in the morning.
Anyplace in the Southern Hemisphere will have winter in our summer, So you just need to find a country that has mountains and ski resorts.
Why not take a trip in the winter or spring. Spring skiing can be a lot of fun and sometimes less expensive. In Norther New England you can find skiiing through March at least. DS1 and his DGF came up in mid-Marcha nd had great conditions, although it was still pretty cold (high of 30).
Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia, Cananda is the only one I know of. You can ski the glacier June/July. I've always wondered how you'd get up there as it's the only snow on the top of the mountain. Here's the link Whistler - Summer Glacier Skiing & Riding They are also hosting the Winter Olympics this winter.
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A local college, Liberty University, is putting in a year round outdoor ski slope with some kind of fake material. I would think other places would have them too? Could you do a google search or something? I'm not sure how close this is to skiiing on snow, but it might be fun.
I also thought in Gatlinburg you could ski, but on roller ski type things? I don't know.
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Melissa
A local college, Liberty University, is putting in a year round outdoor ski slope with some kind of fake material. I would think other places would have them too? Could you do a google search or something? I'm not sure how close this is to skiiing on snow, but it might be fun.
That sounds interesting, I'll have to see what I can find on that. Our vacation club has a resort in Virginia ...
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I also thought in Gatlinburg you could ski, but on roller ski type things? I don't know.
Not that I know of, I didn't see anything in the visitor guides we got in the mail.
Thanks to all for your suggestions, I knew it would be a long shot! For the near future we're sticking with travel in the US, but maybe in a few years we might branch out a little bit.
A local college, Liberty University, is putting in a year round outdoor ski slope with some kind of fake material.
I looked this up and initially thought it was already open because the press release said late '08/early '09. But then I found another article (recent), I guess they got behind, it said they were in the midst of construction and should be open by mid-summer.
One of our Vacation Club resorts is in Gordonsville, which is on the other side of Charlottesville from Liberty University, and is perhaps a 90-minute drive? I've been wanting to stay at this resort anyway, this would be the perfect opportunity.
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I'm so bummed.....the ski mountain in our town already closed down for the season, and they still have close to a foot base if not more!! 
I was looking forward to skiing this weekend!!
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