Last Chair Podcast: Eagle Point Fire

The Cottonwood Fire changed Eagle Point Resort in a matter of hours.

Four of five chairlifts were damaged. Canyon Side Lodge was destroyed. Around 145 cabins and condos were lost. Then, as cleanup began, monsoon rains brought flooding through the burn scar and tore apart the highway leading to the resort.

For the Season 8 premiere of Last Chair, host Tom Kelly sits down with Eagle Point owner Shane Gadbaw to talk about what happened, the community that has rallied around the mountain and what comes next.

Shane also shares the unlikely path that brought him from skiing Mount Brighton in Michigan to Wall Street and eventually to Beaver, Utah, where he and his partners reopened the dormant Elk Meadows as Eagle Point in 2010.

Now, he sees this moment as a “great reset” and an opportunity to rebuild a stronger, more resilient Eagle Point.

The goal: welcome skiers and riders back to Eagle Point in November 2027.

“It started Monday at 3:30, and it burned Eagle Point Tuesday by 3:30 or earlier than that. This fire was as hot as a fire can get and it just tore through the resort area.” — Shane Gadbaw

Learn more about the recovery effort and support Beaver County through BeaverTUF, a nonprofit helping fund recovery, restoration and watershed rehabilitation.

Season 8, Episode 1 of Last Chair with Tom Kelly.

How You Can Help

Many have asked how they can support the recovery effort. The Cottonwood Fire disrupted the lives and mountains we love, but the people of Beaver County, Utah are tough in the face of adversity. With partnership and persistence, together we will renew the Tushar Mountains and build a more resilient future — one acre at a time.

BeaverTUF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established to help address recovery, restoration, and watershed rehabilitation efforts not covered by insurance or government assistance programs. In addition, BeaverTUF will play an important role in helping provide matching funds required to pursue state and federal grants that can bring additional recovery resources into Beaver County. To learn more or contribute, visit BeaverTUF.org.