Red Bull Athlete Tomomi Nishikubo Sets Two New Guinness World Records With Ski Jump Steep Fakie
Japanese trials rider and Red Bull Athlete Tomomi Nishikubo set two new Guinness World Records for steepness and distance by completing a spectacular world-first descent down an Olympic ski jump in Hakuba performing a full fakie nose manual – riding backwards on one wheel for 136.6 metres on gradients up to 37.5 degrees.
After releasing iconic trials videos such as Ninja Rider 1, Ninja Rider 2, Chase Her, Ride To Survive and then Ride to Survive II in 2025 – which have racked up millions of global views – former Japanese Trials Champion Nishikubo spent two years building up to his latest epic project.
In an effort to break new ground, Nishikubo brought together elements of cycling and winter sports infrastructure in a unique global performance setting at the Hakuba Ski Jump Stadium in Nagano.
The inspiration came about after watching compatriot Ryoyu Kobayashi‘s huge world record ski jump in Iceland. He revealed: “I saw Ryoyu’s jump and immediately thought: I want to do my trick.”
After visiting the venue for the first time in August 2024, his first 35 attempts in June 2025 were unsuccessful, however it did give him vital information as he built a replica hill to practice on.
The 10-metre hill matching the jump’s 37° maximum gradient allowed him to identify the best way to create enough grip between the tyres and ski jump surface, so the ideal speed could be reached.
He found that high-traction MTB tyres provided the best grip thanks to their soft rubber compound and aggressive tread, but modifying those tyres with custom metal studs was not allowed at the venue.
When it came to test the findings one week before the challenge, Nishikubo discovered that he could overcome wax residue problems created by the tyres on the surface by installing approximately 100 metres of netting that could dramatically increase traction and speed – even on the steepest section.
Nishikubo spent day one of the second 2026 challenge finding that increased traction generated so much braking force that the brakes began overheating – the brake rotors and pads burning out after long runs and needing to be replaced repeatedly.
Day two saw nearly all 10 spare brake rotors destroyed, which led to Nishikubo’s friend driving replacement rotors all the way from Yokohama to Hakuba to ensure the challenge could continue.
With anticipation at fever pitch, Nishikubo switched from resin brake pads to metal brake pads on day three which made the difference in handling the heat and allowed him to finally land the run.
Reaching over 60 km/h and sustaining balance for 35 seconds, Nishikubo maintained a fakie nose manual throughout – balancing exclusively on the front wheel while riding backwards – down the descent on gradients reaching 37.5 degrees over a 136.6-metre course to the delight of everyone watching on site including the 20-person production crew and Nishikubo’s family.
With brake temperatures reaching approximately 150°C, Nishikubo needed complete mastery of his bike to overcome the technical difficulty and physical demands of the trick in the two-year project that pushes trials riding into new territory as well as setting the two new Guinness World Records.
The steepest bicycle fakie nose manual is 37.5 degrees and was achieved by Tomomi Nishikubo (Japan) in Kitaazumi, Nagano, Japan on 5 June 2025.
The longest distance travelled by bicycle fakie nose manual on a ski jumping hill is 136.6 m (448 ft 2 in) and was achieved by Tomomi Nishikubo (Japan) in Kitaazumi, Nagano, Japan on 27 May 2026.
The project took 50 full-course attempts in total (35 in 2025, 15 in 2026) with two handlebars, two stems, 11 brake sets and six different tyres tested in order to finally complete it successfully.
Story courtesy of Red Bull.