Waking up Monday morning you may have seen the video that appears to show a snowboarder accidentally capturing footage of herself being chased by a bear.

Amidst all the shock and awe, quite an argument has developed over the video’s authenticity. 

Upon request for comment, Kelly Murphy insisted that the footage was genuine, telling The Independent:

"Yes the video is real! I didn't know anything was happening at the time but it's so scary to watch it back now! I think I'll stick to the runs with my friends from now on lol."

Outdoor Tech, makers of the headphones Ms Murphy was wearing, told the Independent: "As much as this may look like a sneaky marketing campaign, we know just as much about this video as you do, absolutely nothing."

For those still doubtful, below are some reason viewers are suspicious:?

• The bear does seem to be consistently the same distance behind the snowboarder while in shot. It is then hidden before each time it changes position, whether exiting the frame or being covered by the boarder’s helmet.
• The speed at which the snowboarder is first travelling doesn’t appear to be very fast, perhaps even one that a bear could surpass to catch up with her.
• The video itself does appear to be a rather short and uneventful episode of snowboarding to film (excluding the bear’s presence of course), although analysing the minds of Go Pro users isn’t in our immediate interest.

The bear appears... (Kelly Murphy)

• One of the video’s more jarring aspects is the sound. Of course the boarder is clearly mid-Rhianna sing-along with some expectedly stylish headphones and a fair wind is blowing. However, that bear is roaring loudly, frequently and as soon as it appears on camera.
• Ms Murphy’s YouTube channel boasts a couple of related, although bearless, videos of her boarding in similar clothing and surroundings to support the idea of a solo snowboarding holiday accompanied by Go Pro.
• Her first videos were posted five days ago while the 'chase’ appeared this morning. A long holiday, myriad footage to sift through or an extended editing process could be among the countless reasons for such a gap.

The chase continues... (Kelly Murphy)

The comment below the footage by Ms Murphy provides some interesting detail:

'Snowboarder Girl Chased By Bear - I Was Singing Rihanna Work And Didn't Know It Was Behind Me!'

'OMG! I was going through my snowboarding videos and I found a bear chasing me!!! I nearly got eaten!!! This was at Hakuba 47 in Japan, filmed yesterday! Be careful people!!!'

Skihabuka.com suggests that such an event is possible, with Asiatic black bears being spotted quite frequently during the year. They hibernate from November till March meaning, “you are unlikely to see it unless you are in Hakuba for spring skiing (April and early May) and even then you would have to be very lucky to see one.”

The right time of year then perhaps, but still a rare encounter even if the colour of the bear seems to be more brown than black.