Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Eagle Point Ski Resort owner Shane Gadbaw vows to rebuild after Cottonwood Fire.
- The fire destroyed key structures and damaged 300 of 600 skiable acres.
- Gadbaw emphasizes the importance of community recovery and no loss of life.
BEAVER — Standing among blackened trees, burned chairlifts, and the remains of buildings that once brought families together, Eagle Point Ski Resort owner Shane Gadbaw said the Cottonwood Fire changed the mountain forever.
"This is my heart and soul for 17 years," said Gadbaw during tour of the area on Thursday. "The images, it's just hard to see."
The fire destroyed the Canyonside Lodge and the Tushar Ridge Warming Station, damaged four of the resort's five chairlifts, and burned about 300 of the resort's 600 skiable acres.
The Cottonwood Fire burned lodges, damaged chairlifts and scorched large sections of Beaver Mountain, but Gadbaw said the greatest loss wasn't the buildings.
"One hundred forty-five families lost their homes or condos. That's more than half of the community up here," he said. "That's probably the toughest part of it all, to lose the community that we worked so hard to build."
Despite the destruction, much of the resort remains standing.
Skyline Lodge survived the fire, along with the Monarch Lift. Much of the north side terrain, as well as communications towers and snowmaking infrastructure.
There are also several areas where green patches of forest throughout the mountain remain untouched by the fire.
"The fact that we're standing here and this building (Skyline Lodge) is intact and the terrain is intact and we have a foundation to rebuild upon is, we owe it all to the firefighters and the first responders," said Gadbaw. "They saved this building. They saved this whole side."
He said the fire's most important outcome was that no one died.
"I think the most important takeaway from this is that no lives were lost," Gadbaw said.
As firefighters continue working on the Cottonwood Fire, recovery efforts are already beginning.
U.S. Forest Service crews are removing hazardous trees, stabilizing soils and preparing for potential flooding once monsoon rains arrive.
"If this area receives significant amount of moisture, flooding is a concern on many people's minds," said Kendall Nelson with the U.S. Forest Service.
Eagle Point officials said rebuilding will take time as crews complete damage assessments, restore utilities, work through insurance claims and coordinate with local, state and federal agencies.
"Recovery from a wildfire of this magnitude doesn't happen overnight," Gadbaw said. "It requires planning, partnership and patience."
This is my heart and soul for 17 years. The images, it's just hard to see.
–Shane Gadbaw
During Thursday's tour, Gadbaw also announced the creation of the BeaverTUF Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will help support wildfire recovery efforts across Beaver County while investing in long-term community projects.
Officials said the foundation will help address recovery needs that may not be covered by insurance or government assistance.
While the timeline for reopening the resort remains unclear, Gadbaw said Eagle Point's future is not.
"Yeah, and to make this clear, we will rebuild Eagle Point," he said. "We will rebuild this community."
