In the small but fiercely contested world of sand skiing speed records, the bar has just been pushed well past anything seen before. French ski instructor Mahé Freydier has reset expectations in a discipline that sits somewhere between alpine racing and stupidity.
On 25 September 2025, Freydier pointed his skis down a massive Peruvian dune and accelerated to 121 kilometres per hour. That figure eclipses the previous benchmark recognised by Guinness World Records, set in Namibia in 2010 at just over 92 kilometres per hour. This was not snow, ice, or groomed corduroy. It was loose sand, heat, and friction doing their best to stop him.
The run took place on Toro Mata, one of the largest sand dunes on the planet, with an enormous vertical drop and no margin for error. Freydier later noted that the protective bases on his skis literally burned through during the descent, leaving him with a single attempt. At speeds above 100 kilometres per hour, wind became unstable and unpredictable, and a fall would have been brutal. One run. No reset. Full commitment.
For New Zealanders, sand skiing is not some exotic overseas novelty. The most famous local spot is the Te Paki sand dunes near Cape Reinga, where skis and boards have been sliding down steep faces for decades. The scale is smaller and the speeds far lower, but the sensation is familiar. Gravity, friction, and nerves all negotiating at once. Other dune systems around Ninety Mile Beach are also used informally, though conditions change constantly and caution matters.
