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PHOTOS: Opening Day on Big Mountain

CASEY KREIDER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks AGO
by CASEY KREIDER
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Casey Kreider is a staff photographer for the Daily Inter Lake. His work documents news, sports, wildlife, landscapes and everyday life across Northwest Montana through visual storytelling. Kreider’s keen eye captures major sporting events, community moments, and the natural beauty that defines the region. He is a graduate of Penn State University and previously worked as a photographer for Lancaster Newspapers in Pennsylvania. In 2024, he received the Montana Newspaper Association’s Mel Ruder Photograph of the Year award. IMPACT: Kreider's work brings readers closer to the people, places and moments that shape life in Northwest Montana through powerful visual journalism. | December 5, 2025 6:05 AM

Skiers and snowboarders take to the slopes of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4.


    Skiers and snowboarders wait in line at Chair 1 on opening day on Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    Skiers and snowboarders head down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    Skiers and snowboarders wait in line at Chair 1 on opening day on Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    Snowboarders head down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    From left, Trent Tennison, Bryson Fiedler, Gray Petro and Brynnlea Toren get onto the first chair on opening day on Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    A skier skins up Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    A skier heads off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    A snowboarder heads down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    Skiers and snowboarders ride Chair 1 to the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    A skier heads down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    Snowboarders head down Russ's Street off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    From left, Trent Tennison, Bryson Fiedler, Gray Petro and Brynnlea Toren were first in line for Chair 1 on opening day on Big Mountain at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    Skiers and snowboarders ride Chair 1 to the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


    A snowboarder heads down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    Skiers and snowboarders head down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    Snowboarders head down Russ's Street off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    A snowboarder heads down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    A skier heads down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    Skiers and snowboarders ride Chair 1 to the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 
    Snowboarders head down a run off the summit of Big Mountain on opening day at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Thursday, Dec. 4. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider 
 
 


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