No snow, no problem. Last month, Johnny Cruz Buckingham beat the record for fastest sand skiing speed.
The attempt took place on October 16 in Toro Mata, Acari, Peru. According to Guinness World Records, the American reached a blistering 78.91 miles per hour.
The previous record holder was France’s Mahé Freydier, who got up to 75 miles per hour in the same location. “As soon as I saw Freydier fly down that sand mountain, I knew I wanted to break his record,” Johnny told GWR.
To achieve that, Johnny teamed up with fellow Guinness World Records title holder Michael “Mike” Osborne Bedient II, and Peruvian snowboarder Victor “Dito” Chavez. They first traveled to Peru in February 2026, where the trio made an attempt that failed to best the previous record. It wasn’t until they made it out for a second run that the stars aligned.
“I hopped up, pointed my skis straight down, got in my tuck, and focused on nothing other than staying in position until I hit the bottom,” he told Guinness. “I felt fast. I felt focused. I felt like I was going the fastest I had ever gone. I could hear the wind grow louder the further I went down.
“When I rounded out at the bottom, I knew I had gone faster than 75 mph. I just felt it,” he continued. “Sure enough, Dito called out 77 mph. Mike’s radar gun said 78.9 mph.
“I freaking did it! It was surreal, and I couldn’t believe it finally happened. I was thankful because I was alive, and now I could finally celebrate the win.”
Incredibly, this is far from Buckingham’s only world record. The former U.S. Air Force pilot has attained over a dozen Guinness World Records titles since 2025. In addition to the record for fastest towed asphalt skiing, he has the most fire knife spins on a balance board in one minute, the most catches of a medicine ball wearing boxing gloves by two people in one minute, the fastest time to burst 100 balloons with his feet, the fastest time to travel to all New York City Ferry stops, and the most fire knife spins in 30 seconds.
“I love the thrill of the chase,” he told Guinness. “It’s not about breaking the record. It’s about the excitement of planning it out and seeing if I can pull it off.”
