10/10
Photos (11)
Highs and lows
Highs
- A very long and complete ride experience
- Extremely comfortable and smooth
- Insane location and views
- One of the best airtime moments
- Lots of varied forces
- Many good inversions
Lows
- Launches kinda weak
The numbers
62.1mph
Top speed
134.5ft
Height
4,531ft
Length
7
Inversions
Our review
Introduction
Helix is a 2014 Mack Launch Coaster and is the undisputed star attraction of Sweden's largest themepark. The first time we went to Liseberg, Helix was closed and after we returned and rode it, we understood what a crime it had been to have this magnificent beast of a coaster closed. Helix is a world-class coaster and without a doubt one of the best coasters we've been on.
King of the hill
If you've been to Liseberg you know that one half of the park is a large hillside and a small area on top of it. Helix is the king of this hill and therefore also of Liseberg as there is almost not a single spot in this park where you can't see Helix's glorious layout and it's a truly dominating presence in the park. You have to take escalators to the top of the hill (or a lot of stairs) to find its entrance inside the large building where the park's drop tower and a MAX burger also reside.
Extreme Comfort
First of all, let's just quickly talk about the trains. When it comes to the modern Mack Trains that they use on most of their thrill coasters, most people really like them, some love them and some are not a fan. We can't really express our love for these trains enough and they are perhaps the best trains we've ever had the pleasure to ride in. The seats are extremely comfortable, we didn't find the lapbar to tighten during the ride, and the ride itself is extremely smooth. We could ride this coaster all day with ease and never be tired, get a headache or be exhausted, because that's just how comfortable it is.
Worldclass Terrain Coaster
When it comes to the ride experience itself, you're dropped down into the first launch and what follows is a very long and winding terrain layout including 7 inversions, some offering float, some offering whip and some offering crazy hangtime. The coaster also features several tight turns and especially the middle section of the ride is very powerful and quite intense. This is made possible because of the location of the ride which means that it can have several drops in areas where a coaster built on a flat area wouldn't. The fact that the coaster can have all of these positives and then also sport two fantastic airtime moments, one being one of our favorites of all time, is just the cherry on top.
So about those launches
The main argument against Helix is, and has always been, the "weak launches". Mack has never been known for making particularly strong launches and Helix has most likely gotten more negative attention regarding this, because of its size and status as an elite ride. People expect an elite launch coaster to have at least really good launches but that simply isn't what Helix is about. We agree that the launches on Helix aren't particularly strong and that it would be about the only improvement we could see on the ride, but as long as you don't explicitly get on, thinking the launches are gonna be powerful, it really isn't a letdown at all because of the part the launches play in the overall layout. They are not meant to be the star of the attraction and are only meant to get you up to the required speed to execute the following section of track. This obviously doesn't mean that they couldn't have made them more powerful and that it wouldn't have benefited the overall ride experience but it's just to say that we didn't feel like we were let down by the launches one bit, but simply noted that Helix is a launch coaster where the launches themselves aren't the standout elements.
Conclusion
Helix is one of the most complete coasters out there from its amazing trains and smooth tracking to its super long hillside layout, filled with floaty inversions, oodles of hangtime, moments of intense positives and some surprisingly strong airtime, Helix really does have it all. The only thing you could even dream of improving, is the power of the launches but thankfully, Helix doesn't rely on them to create a truly elite ride experience, and it absolutely does just that.
All photos
Smoothing the airtime on Balder…