Hello and welcome to my Ride Helix review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Helix as an aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboard.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Helix a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how it compares with other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle snowboards.
NOTE: The 2021 model was the last model of the Helix.
Overall Rating
Board: Ride Helix
Price: $489 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle
Flex Rating: “Aggressive”/Mid-Stiff
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (6.5/10)
Rating Score: 84.5/100
Compared to other Men’s Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle Boards
Out of the 20 men’s aggressive-all-mountain-freestyle snowboards that I rated:
- The average score was 84.2/100
- The highest score was 92.0/100
- The lowest score was 74.7/100
- The average price was $553
- The Helix ranked 10th out of 20
Overview of the Helix’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Helix’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
| Style | Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle | Flex | Medium-Stiff (6.5/10) |
| Ability Level | High Intermediate to Expert | Feel | Semi Locked-In |
| Weight | Normal | Turn Initiation | Medium |
| Camber Profile | Traditional Camber | Shape | True Twin |
| Stance Setback | Centered | Edge-hold | Medium snow |
| Price | $489 (USD) | Base | Sintered |
Sizing
| Size (Length) | 146 | 151 | 153 | 155 | 157 | 160 | 156W | 159W |
| Waist Width (mm) | 248 | 250 | 251 | 252 | 253 | 254 | 260 | 261 |
| Weight Range (lbs) | 80-130 | 100-150 | 125-175 | 130-180 | 130-180 | 140-190 | 130-180 | 140-190 |
| Weight Range (kgs) | 36-59 | 45-69 | 57-80 | 59-82 | 59-82 | 64-86 | 59-82 | 64-86 |
The 2018 model also had a 138 and a 142, but these are no longer available for the 2019, 2020 & 2021 models. The 2020 model saw the 159 change to a 160.
Who is the Helix Most Suited to?
The Helix is a great board for anyone who wants to ride freestyle over the whole mountain, be it in the park or finding natural hits and features. But it’s also something that can rip a pretty good carve and ride at speed when you want to.
It’s definitely for the more aggressive rider and for the stronger more advanced rider too.
So, not for the beginner for sure. A high level intermediate who likes to ride aggressively and likes to hit jumps, spins, etc would be fine but a beginner would likely find it too aggressive.
The Helix in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Helix is capable of.
Demo Info
Board: Ride Helix 2018, 157cm (253mm waist)
Date: April 15, 2017
Conditions: Mostly cloudy in the morning with periods of sun. Started snowing around midday (so much snow in April – it’s awesome!) Some fresh overnight snow made the snow nice and soft in the morning – hardened up as it was compacted but was still soft-packed. Then Softened up again a bit in the afternoon with the new snow.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Powder
This is the Helix’s biggest weakness. Of course you can ride anything in powder, but you have to work that back leg reasonably hard to keep this one afloat. Not a board for if you’re always riding deep powder, but if it’s only occasional it’s fine or if you have another board for that.
Carving & Turning
Not very forgiving of skidded turns, though slightly better in that respect than it’s “bigger brother” the Burnout.
Nice on a carve though, so as long as your on your game, this board is a lot of fun to ride.
Speed
Pretty good at speed too, especially for a twin. You can get up some good speed on this and still feel stable.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Uneven Terrain
Not too bad in uneven terrain. Certainly found it more forgiving in uneven terrain than the Burnout.
Jumps
The Helix felt stable on landings, great for spins and had good pop. It was fun on anything from side hits, lips, rollers and small to large jumps in the park.
You’ve got to give it a bit of effort to load it up. It’s stiff enough that you’ve got to put energy in, to get energy back – but if you’re strong and have the skill, then that effort is rewarded.
Switch
It’s pretty much the ideal board for riding switch, assuming that you can ride switch reasonably well – it’s still an aggressive ride in your switch direction, so you’ve got to be competent riding switch – but assuming you are, then it’s exactly the same in each direction. Love asym twins for riding switch.
Jibbing
A bit stiff to be a good jibber and too much camber in there for my liking. But doable and someone who’s a quality jibber would probably be fine. Not one to learn the art of jibbing on though.
Changes from the 2020 Model
The 2021 model looks to be the same as the 2020 model, except for the graphic.
Changes from the 2019 Model
For the most part the 2020 model looks to be the same as the 2019 model. Maybe some subtle shaping on the tip and tail – but nothing that should affect the ride. The 159 is now a 160, but seems to have the same effective edge. The effective edge on the 146 and 156W models are slightly different too, which is kind of random that it only changed on those 2 sizes. But for the most part the same deck, apart from the graphic.
Changes from the 2018 Model
They’ve brought a little rocker into the tip and tail just before the contact points but it’s still mostly camber. Otherwise seems to be mostly the same board as the 2018 model, apart from the graphic.
The 138 and 142 sizes that the 2018 model offered are no longer available for the 2019 model.
Changes from the 2017 Model
Some tweaks made to the sidecut for the 2018 model and some different sizes introduced. Also, Ride says that it’s a little softer than the 2017 model. That might be true but it still felt on the stiffer side of medium on snow, to me anyway.
Also looks like they’ve taken the rocker out of the tip and tail and made it full camber. Still didn’t feel as catchy as full-camber normally would – so I’m not sure if maybe some of that rocker is still there, but just not advertised or if they’ve done something else to make it slightly less catchy.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Jumps: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Carving: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Speed: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Switch: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Uneven Terrain: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Spins: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Butters: | 3.0 | 3/5 |
| Powder: | 2.0 | 2/5 |
| Jibbing: | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| Pipe: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 84.5/100 |
Overall, the Helix is a fun aggressive all-mountain-freestyle ride. I preferred it over the even more aggressive Burnout, but others might prefer the Burnout, if they want something that feels a bit stiffer/more aggressive – but still all-mountain-freestyle.
The Helix is more aggressive than your average all-mountain-freestyle ride but less aggressive than the most aggressive, if that makes sense! So it’s a nice in-between.
And it’s really reasonably priced, so makes this a good choice for those with a tighter budget.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you are interested in learning more about the Helix, are ready to buy or want to research price and sizing availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Helix compared to other aggressive all-mountain-freestyle options or want to check out some other options, check out the next link.
>>My Top 5 Aggressive All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
If you’re looking for something similar but on the more playful side, check out the next link.
>>My Top 5 All-Mountain-Freestyle Snowboards
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