Congratulations to 23-year-old French ski instructor Mahé Freydier who achieved his goal of breaking the World Record for sand speed skiing. The record breaking descent happened on September, 25th, 2025 high atop the Nazca Dunes in Peru (elevation 5,300+ feet).
Freydier achieved a speed of 75mph, shattering the previous record of 57mph held by German skier Henrik May since 2010. The Frenchman wore a speed suit for the occasion and planned on multiple attempts but the extreme friction caused by the sand actually burned a hole through his ski and due to equipment failure he only tried it once:
“At 75mph, the sand burned the base of my skis, making a hole in the ski. It pulled my leg back and destabilized me, so I decided to stand up.” -Mahé Freydier
At the end of the day, all he needed was that one attempt and the record was his. One can imagine Freydier returning to France, hanging that perforated ski up above the mantel and telling tales about that faithful day in the Peruvian desert when he hit 75mph sliding on silica. Bravo.
“Above 62mph it became very difficult to maintain speed, as the wind destabilized me considerably, and falling on sand can be very dangerous. The pressure inside me was intense. I only got one try because my skis burned up, so it was impossible for me to try again! That makes this record even more special, because it was during the first run.”
Related: Skier Takes On The World’s Tallest Sand Dune (5,905 Foot Descent)
