(NBC) The snowboarder at the center of an online video sensation could be facing criminal charges after he was caught on tape triggering an avalanche.
Christian Michael Mares, 29, was wearing a personal video camera Friday when he boarded down a steep run at sugar bowl resort in California.
The video shows Mares' being buried under the cascading snow of the avalanche.
He fights his way to the surface and marvels at his experience with several friends, one of whom recorded the incident in a separate video.
Representatives of the resort said Wednesday that Mares was in a "very active avalanche area," which has been closed to the public since 2010.
The resort says Mares triggered the avalanche, and put himself, his friends, ski patrol and the skiing public at risk.
Courtesy: NBC News Channel