Helix Media Day

[andrus]

Yesterday (23/4) was the media day for Helix at Liseberg, and Katia and I went as representatives of Coaster Force. We were very excited, but also a bit nervous since we had been looking forward to ride this coaster for almost 2 years!!

The day started of with a 3 hours drive north to Gothenburg. The weather forecast promised sun, but it turned out rather chilli and windy. Nevertheless we were very excited as we approached the park and could spot Helix from the highway:

From the parking we got an excellent view of the park and its new crown jewel:

We couldn’t see any testing though, so we headed straight to the park! Outside there where a bunch of teenagers camping, though it turned out they where there for a concert and not the opening of Helix.. ^^ There had gathered several journalist from different media outside the main gate, all anxious to get in and try out the ride! Some commercial for Helix on the big screen:

As the personnel let us in the park we could see the beautiful work done by the park department. A lot of work where still going on though. Only three days left until the big premiere!

Helix featured on the attractions list: check!

We headed straight for the escalators since Andreas Andersen, the CEO of Liseberg, would hold an introduction speech. We where greeted by him as soon as we got up, and he seemed like a really nice guy! The area up the escalators where packed with people: besides the journalists, a gang of 110(!) members of ECC had traveled all the way to Liseberg just to test ride Helix!!

Andreas apparently is a guy full of humour too! With tongue-in-cheek he told us that he wouldn’t be as boring as his colleges at Kings Island, which apparently held an opening speech of Banshee for an entire 40 minutes.. So keeping it short Andreas welcomed us all and told us a little bit about the ride. Among other things he mentioned that the ride was inspired by science and nature: both Einstein and DNA-helixes as mentioned before, but also of ivy (Hedera helix) which will be a big part in the themeing of the ride! Andreas also referred to Helix as a ”diamond in the rough”; a ride of great potential but that still has a lot of things to be done!

After the short speech we headed straight for the queue!

Adjacent to the queue there is a big wall filled with scientific calculations, inspired by Einstein. As a permanent feature of the themeing, Liseberg allowed us enthusiasts to write our signatures on this wall. A pretty cool feature!

As soon as we entered the queue we could hear the IMA soundtrack. It is very similar to the one on Blue Fire I think! Of course that is not a bad thing though, and the soundtrack has a catchy sound to it! It is also very long which makes enduring the queue easier! And I think that’ll be needed. Liseberg can have some pretty long queues in the summer, and as hyped as Helix is at the moment I guess all of the cattle pens will be needed..

Yes, even though most of the queue is very nice; there are some cattle pens which can be used on crowded days. But overall the queue-area is hugely impressive!! It really is a maze and it’s impossible to tell how much further the line stretches. On the picture below you can see some of the rocks on the ground level with green light shining through:

The queue is made out of several stories (at least 3-4 I think) which makes it even harder to tell where you are:

I thought the queue looked a bit cramped on pictures, but in real life it is huge and very impressive! There are green diodes scattered all around the place, and in some areas they even have installed mist. The music and sound system is a huge plus as well.

As could be seen from the queue, workers where making final touches before the premiere on Saturday:

A pretty nerdy detail is that you can see the gate mechanisms moving since you’re queuing straight beneath the station:

Even though it was media day, there was still a 15-20 minutes queue because of the 110 enthusiasts from ECC and because pretty much all media available in Sweden where there to test ride it! Very anxious we finally reached the station:

Another pic from the station:

A sexy Helix train entering the station:

Close up of a seat:

Those of you that have been to Europa Park and ridden Blue Fire already knows how comfortable these seats are! They’re, as Andreas Andersen said himself, ”best in the business”. The seats are spacious and the lapbar snugs nicely over you hips. Even strong ejector (YES! The ride has strong ejector! But I’ll come back to that later :wink: ) is taken without any discomfort at all

Close up of wheel assembly and green diodes in the chassis:

Another shot of the comfortable MACK trains:

That's it for part 1! I'll come back soon with ride footage and comments of the actual ride experience

 

[Jordanovichy]

Wow, the seats look fab, really futuristic and open.

Looking forward to hearing your views on it

 

[peep]

Awesome, look forward to reading about the rest of your day at the park!

Like yourself I was concerned about the queueline from photos, great to hear it's better in person. Not sure if I'm a fan of the never knowing how long till the station though

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

Incredible is the word that springs to mind looking at this coaster! Can't wait for part 2!

 

[andrus]

So of course now you're all wondering what the ride exerience is like? I’ll try to make a chronological run through of the elements here below!

First of you start with a small drop straight out of the station. In the front seats you wont feel much, but in the back you get some great airtime since the drop angle is pretty sharp. This was actually one of my favourite parts of the ride! Here’s the view from the station:

And here below you can see a train full of happy riders! The net surrounding the station building (which can be seen in the photo above too) will eventually have climbing ivy plants as a part of the theming. I think it will look really good in a couple of years!

The upcoming corkscrew is pretty similar to the ones found on Blue Fire and provides som nice floater airtime:

After the corkscrew the train meanders through some curves and then hit the launch! The first launch is quicker than launch two, but it’s still pretty forceless. I would say that the launches of Helix are the least intense launches I’ve yet experienced (tyre-launches included). So a bit dissapointing, but this was expected from watching the POV:s. And MACK also explained that it had to do with eventual roll-backs, since the train then have to start from zero, and need more track.

The launch is followed by a second corkscrew. This one is a bit snappier, but still provide some floater. After the corkscrew the train takes a quick left hand turn and then jumps over an s-bend turn with a pop of airtime:

After picking up some speed (this is one of the quickest parts of the ride) the train raises up to the sky and dives back down into the huge pretzel loop. Yet again the pretzel provide some floater at the entrance and exit points (although not as poweful as on Intamin Norwegian loops). As the day passed the pretzel got more intense, but still not quite B&M flyer intense:

The following sequence with aritime hill, zero-g roll and the dive into the helix is one of my favourite parts of the ride! The pacing is quick, the forces are great and the elements compliment each other very well! First in this sequence is the ejector airtime hill:

Then follows the zero-g roll which is very similar in experience to the one on Hydra I think:

Last in this sequence is the Helix which pulls some pretty significant g-forces. Although the best part of the Helix is the entrance ”dive” which flips you sideways. It’s not quite the same feeling as the dive turn on Blue Fire found straight after the loop. The dive turn on Helix has a more significant ”flip” to it and also provides some airtime:

Next up is a slow left hand turn followed by a tight right hand turn in and under the log flum. Then into the second launch. The second launch is even slower then the first, which kind of turns it into a breather (although the general public probably disagrees ). It’s nice enough with the gentle boost of speed it gives, but I would really have preferred it if the launches where more powerful!

Entering the upcoming inverted top hat:

From ground level this element looks huge! While riding you can feel that the actual height of the element is rather small though (especially compared to other top hats). The top hat do provide very nice floater though and Andreas Andersen even mentioned it as one of his favourite elements of the ride, and I’m willing to agree with him!

The upcoming airtimehill is the single best element of the ride in my opinion! At this point the train has picked up som great speed and is literally flying over the huge hill!! The airtime is very powerful here, especially in the back of the train. It’s not Skyrush, but probably in the same range as the first hills of Colossos at Heide Park.

At the bottom of the airtime hill the train reaches it’s maximum speed of 100km/h. It then makes a fast left hand turn up the mountain passing over one of the walkways:

Then comes the s-bend turns, where the train cruises up the mountain and back towards the station. This sections is not very intese at all, but pretty fun:

The s-bend turns finish with one tighter turn before the train hits the final element of the ride: the heart line roll! To be honest this was my biggest let down with Helix. I had been keeping my fingers crossed that the element would ride similar to the one found on Blue Fire. But it did not The heart line on Helix start of fast but slows down during the roll and you never experience the ”throw you out of your seat” feeling that the one on Blue Fire does. The heart line of Helix is more similar to the inline found on Kanonen actaully; slow hangtime. It’s is a nice ending to the ride though, just not what I expected.

That’s all for now. In part 3 I’ll return with my verdict (and I’ll try to persuade Katia to write down her pionions as well). I’ll also post some pictures from the evening when we where invited to join in some ERT of the other coasters at Liseberg

 

[rtotheizzo17]

Great pics. Looks like a real winner of a ride.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

The way it comes out of the station! Incredible pictures!

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Thanks for the comprehensive review Andrus. Shame about the zero g but overall it looks stunning and a quality ride that the park should be proud of.

Some of the night time photos others have shared are also delicious

 

[andrus]

Shame about the zero g

Haha, I actually really enjoyed the zero-g roll! The comparison with Hydra was meant as a good thing. They're similar in size and while the one on Hydra flips you around pretty quick it still has plenty of floater, just like the one on Helix (while older B&M zero-g's tend to just flip you round with a minimum of floater/zero-g)!

 

[andrus]

After the media had left Liseberg the enthusiasts (110 from ECC and 2 from CF ) got some spare time. By now the sky had cleared up and the sun was shining. Helix looks pretty in backlighting!

The weather had changed from chilli to summer temperatures in just a couple of minutes. It was really nice to enjoy an empty Liseberg as a change! And the park is really beautiful in places:

We were invited to a small behind the scenes tour as well, while we were waiting for the evening ERT. We got to see the odd little cabin in the middle of Balder:

They even have a complementary outhouse!

A weird but nice detail! We where also told that Balder in fact is themed to a local football club (Örgryte IS) which used to have it’s training ground (Balders hage) on the exact spot where Balder is situated. And it’s not just the name that’s taken from the football club; the blue and red trains are also the same colours used by the football club!

After a couple of hours of relaxing it was time for some ERT! It never got really dark, but Helix looks very nice in the dusk too:

The lighting effects of the station are seen much better in the evening:

This is where the attraction photo and the souvenir stands will be:

A blurry train flying by:

And I finish off the photos with my favourite element of the ride: the huge ejector airtime hill! <3

 

[andrus]

Now it’s time for the verdict!

It’s hard not to be slightly dissapointed when you’ve been looking forward to a ride for almost 2 years. There’s no denying that Helix is an IMMENSELY fun roller coaster! But after our first ride I felt that something was missing.. The ride eventually got better as it warmed up though, and it is to be said that there’s a significant difference in ride experience depending on where you sit in the train; our evening rides in the back seats where pretty amazing!

Helix is not as intense as certain B&M or Intamin rides, but of what we heard during the media day that’s not the point of the ride either. Helix is supposed to cater to the whole family. But while the forces are lower than it’s competitors and children down to 130cm can ride, it is still a thrilling ride! The greatness of Helix lies in it’s combination of elements and it’s excellent pacing. Twists and turns are mixed with inversions and airtime and there’s no real break, the elements just keep coming! Another thing that separates MACK from its competitors is the ability to squeeze airtime all over the ride, in places you didn’t think was possible. While the airtime hills provide ejector (at least the latter two) several of the inversions and transitions provide floater airtime too. I guess you can sort of say it’s the steel counterpart of a GCI, with small moments of airtime scattered all over the ride!

I don’t really know where to put Helix in my rankings jut yet. It’s definitely not up there with my top 2 rides Skyrush and I305. But I think it’ll be somewhere in my top 10 at least. Helix is, like I stated before, immensely fun. But at the same time it lacks a little bit in intensity and I didn’t get the same adrenaline rush that I get from other rides. It is very re-rideable though! I would compare it to Goliath at Walibi which is also in my top 10. Goliath is not very intense but a long, fun and re-rideable coaster. Helix has the same characteristics, but in a looping coaster format!

I thought I should make a little metion of front seat rides vs. back seat rides too. Andreas Andersen mentioned in the introduction speech that his favourite seats where in the front or in the back, although the both experiences differed quite a bit. In the front you get an unhindered view and a greater sense of freedom. In the back the whole ride feels a lot faster and more out of control; the forces, airtime and everything is crazier in the back! On our first ride we rode in the middle of the train, and this was also the time when we felt slightly disappointed. The ride definitely feels slower and more ”controlled” here.

Pros: the pacing, length and diversity of elements
Cons: weak launches, poor heart-line roll and slight lack of intensity(?)


Thanks for reading!

 

[DelPiero]

Thanks for the very insightful report. The pictures are fantastic and the element by element description is great.
From what you've said i'm a little disappointed but not entirely surprised.

I've known since seeing the POV that the heartline wouldn't be the same as Blue Fire, which is a massive shame as BF's is amazing. It doesn't have the speed or angle in my opinion. The angle won't be changed, but Loefet has mentioned many times that the ride will speed up over the summer, so it might be better then.

The launches also aren't a surprise, as they have always looked weak, and at times the tophat is barely being cleared, i doubt this will change as well. Maybe adding a circular tunnel with Helix style projections would at least increase the perception of speed.

On the plus side, it looks absolutely brilliant and even the queue line is pretty snazzy, the station at night looks fab, just an all round sexy ride.

I'm really happy to hear about the final airtime hill providing some good ejector, again, if the ride speeds up this could be even better! I honestly didn't think it would be as good as described.

Also the Helix entrance dive never really stood out for me so i'm glad this is also a plus, as those elements just before it look great.

Thanks again, can't wait to ride it in July.

 

[Hyde]

Thanks for the great report!

That trim lighting though - would love for more roller coasters to catch onto this.

 

[andrus]

I've known since seeing the POV that the heartline wouldn't be the same as Blue Fire, which is a massive shame as BF's is amazing. It doesn't have the speed or angle in my opinion. The angle won't be changed, but Loefet has mentioned many times that the ride will speed up over the summer, so it might be better then.

The launches also aren't a surprise, as they have always looked weak, and at times the tophat is barely being cleared, i doubt this will change as well. Maybe adding a circular tunnel with Helix style projections would at least increase the perception of speed.

The ride will speed up, even Andreas Andersen (the CEO) said so himself! They are still tweaking the ride and by summer time with raising temperatures the ride will go faster

It is a shame about the launches though. And I don't think they'll change the speed on them since the elements straight after are adapted to the exit speeds of the launches. E.g. the inverted top hat provide excellent floater for a sustained period of time; if they would increase the launch speed this element would unfortunately loose all it's qualities..

 

[Tomatron]

Thanks for the review Andrus!

Sounds like a great ride all things considered - spoken to a couple of other folks who've ridden the ride and who also have a pretty similar opinion. It's not a ride that is supposed to rip your face off or turn your stomach inside out (The Balder and Kanonen corner of the park does that) but it does a little bit of everything for everyone.

And if they are how you say they are, Radaxian will love the launches.

 

[Ian]

I'm always a bit dubious when a park manager claims that "they are still tweaking the ride", however I sort of trust Andreas Andersen. He's a theme park enthusiast himself and has a genuine love for Liseberg so I trust his word. From what I've read of Andrus' balanced report (and see from the various videos), there doesn't seem to be that much tweaking to do. Helix looks and rides like a FUN coaster. In a perverse way, I'm glad that the report wasn't all AMAZING, FAB, WOW!!!11 because my expectation has lowered slightly meaning I won't feel too disappointed if I don't like it when I ride it in July.

Without a doubt, Helix is one of the few recent new coasters in Europe that looks like the dog bollocks (that's a good thing for those who don't understand British slang). It's got launches, inversions, good pacing, terrain and structure interaction and a lot of "love" thrown in. I've heard nothing but positive reviews about this type of Mack coaster (the only one I've done is blu Fire) so hopefully it'll encourage other parks to invest in a similar ride and not settle for something of less quality.

Andrus (and Katia), thank you very much for covering this event on behalf of CoasterForce. You did a smashing job!

 

[Serena]

Excellent report! I particularly like this photo, as it shows off how cleverly Helix interacts with other attractions on the hill.

From the parking we got an excellent view of the park and its new crown jewel:

And if they are how you say they are, Radaxian will love the launches.

Yay, wimpy launches are the best! <3

Fun, re-rideable coasters always beat crazy forceful ones for me, so after reading this I'm actually even more excited about Helix.