Out-of-bounds snowboarder faces criminal charges

A snowboarder skiing in a closed area of Sugar Bowl Ski Resort faces trespassing charges.

Resort officials say Christian Michael Mares triggered an avalanche at approximately 12:45pm Jan. 15 after knowingly traversing into an area of the East Palisades called Perco’s. This area has not been open to the public since the 2010-11 ski season. The area is marked as closed from the Mt. Disney and Mt. Lincoln directions, and it is a very active avalanche area.

The Friday avalanche is not connected in any way with the search for missing Sugar Bowl ski instructor Carson May, according to the resort.

“Normally, when skiers or riders choose to enter into a closed area, resort management will pull the skier’s pass for a duration of time, ban the skier for the remainder of the season or, if serious enough, for multiple seasons. However, since Mares is not a Sugar Bowl season passholder and given the magnitude and severity of this situation, and the fact that patrol, staff and public were put at serious risk from Mares’ decisions and actions, Sugar Bowl has now turned this incident over to the Placer County Sheriff’s Department for prosecution under California Penal Code 602(r), which refers to trespassing into a closed area of a ski resort,” the resort said in a statement.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report