Balder is an Intamin Prefabricated Wooden Coaster from 2003. It's the second one of its model and it served as Liseberg's star attraction (and some may still argue that it is) until Helix arrived in 2014. Balder is currently (as of 2026) our second most ridden coaster with 9 rides over two visits and has become a bit of a comfort coaster for us.

The Wild Little Brother

In terms of age, Balder is actually the second oldest of the current 4 prefabricated wooden coasters, with Colossos being the first and El Toro and T-Express both coming after. However, if there is one thing these 3 coasters have in common, it's that they are all much bigger than Balder. Now this is not to say that Balder is a small wooden coaster, because it isn't. In fact, it's actually quite big, stat-wise compared to your average woodie but it is not a towering behemoth like its brothers, but don't tell Balder that - it clearly does everything in its power to deliver the same fast, smooth airtime-filled ride and it very much succeeds in that.

One-(great)Note

Let's be honest, Balder is fairly one-note. After its first, really good drop, it's essentially two smaller hills into a turn around and then just rinse and repeat. Now this probably sounds fairly boring, but while it is definitely repetitive, it certainly isn't boring to be thrown up out of your seat over a dozen times. Many of the hills are slightly different in their profiling and offer different types of airtime while some hills also have tunnels which elevate the experience. It isn't that the airtime itself is that powerful (except for one or two) but it's more about the amount of airtime and how sustained a lot of it is. Balder only does a couple of things but it does them very, very well.

Where they could have done more

As mentioned, we don't mind the repetitive amount of hills one bit, when they give as much airtime as Balder's do. However, we do wish they could have done a bit more with its turnarounds, especially considering how many it has. Most of them are fairly pedestrian and do hurt the pace a bit. They were obviously limited in space and therefore, how much they could do, but more than anything, some variation here could have been great and is our one true complaint on this otherwise great ride.

Smooth Rumbling

There is something special about the way a wooden coaster rides. The prefabricated ones by Intamin have often been criticized for sacrificing some of that 'special feeling' for the sake of smoothness; however, we do feel like Balder strikes a pretty good balance between a classic wooden coaster experience while also being very smooth. The trains are also very good, being both open and having great restraints. Overall, Balder manages to be equally wild and comfortable at the same time.

Conclusion

While Balder doesn't have the stats, speed or sustained ejector airtime of its bigger brothers, it still offers its own wild, airtime-filled ride experience that is both fun and smooth as well. Balder is the sort of wooden coaster that may not blow you away but we will never get off this ride without a smile on our faces.

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