Johnny Cruz Buckingham Hits 78.91 MPH on Sand Skis in Peru on His Tenth Run

Some goals are reached on the first attempt. Johnny Cruz Buckingham's took two trips to Peru, ten runs on the final visit and a hard crash along the way. The American skier now holds the record for the fastest sand skiing speed, after being clocked at 78.91 mph, or 127 km/h, down the dunes of Toro Mata in Acari, Peru, Guinness World Records reported.

The run took place on October 16, and GWR published the story on November 5. Buckingham took the title from France's Mahé Freydier, who had reached 75 mph, or 121 km/h, on the same dune.

A Goal Sparked by Someone Else's Record

Buckingham is a repeat record holder who has collected more than a dozen Guinness World Records titles since 2025, according to GWR. After setting a record for the fastest towed asphalt skiing in August 2025, he went looking for new skiing challenges and found Freydier's sand run.

"As soon as I saw Freydier fly down that sand mountain, I knew I wanted to break his record," he told GWR. He contacted Victor "Dito" Chavez, owner of Dito Sand X-sports and a member of Peru's Olympic National Team, who knew the Toro Mata dunes well.

The First Attempt Fell Short

In February 2026, Buckingham travelled to Peru with fellow record holder Michael "Mike" Osborne Bedient II. Rainy season weather and slow traffic made the drive to Acari long, and Buckingham admitted to GWR that he was "really scared" looking down the dune.

His first run, in normal snow skis and heavy clothing, reached 60 mph. On advice from Chavez, he shed the bulky gear and switched to faster skis. But the wax burned off, his best speed was 74.56 mph and the team had to leave for the airport. The record had escaped him by less than half a mile per hour.

Life Did Not Pause

Over the following months, GWR said, Buckingham completed the Army Mountaineering School, graduated from the Yale School of Management with an MBA and, as an Air Force officer, relocated with his family to a new base in Texas. He still called Chavez and Bedient back and planned a second trip for October.

A Crash, Then a Comeback

The return did not go smoothly either. On his second run, at about 55 mph, Buckingham crashed at the abrupt round-out at the bottom of the hill. "I bent my ankle back and twisted my knee," he told GWR, adding that he worried he was done.

Instead, the team drove back up. On the ninth attempt, he reached 72.7 mph. They decided to finish the next morning, when the sand was cold, and on the tenth and final run, at first light, the radar gun read 78.9 mph. "I freaking did it!" he told GWR.

Lessons for Your Own Goals

Let an example light the spark. Buckingham's goal started with seeing what someone else had done. Watching others succeed can show you what is possible.

Treat a miss as information. The February trip failed, but it taught the team that clothing, skis and wax all mattered. Each adjustment brought the speed closer.

Expect setbacks. A crash and an injury scare did not end the attempt. Building room for a bad day into your plan keeps one setback from becoming the end of the story.

Adjust the conditions. Moving the final runs to the cold morning sand was a small change that made a difference. Look for the conditions under which you perform best.

The Goals View

Buckingham's advice to others is blunt: "If you have a goal or dream in mind, do it!" He told GWR he hopes his son will be inspired to live an adventurous, fulfilling life. His record is a reminder that big goals are rarely a single brave moment. They are a series of attempts, adjustments and returns, until one run finally comes together.