Liberty Helix 99 Review: A Playful Twin Tip With a Quiet Bamboo Core

Introduction

Liberty has reworked much of its ski range in recent seasons, but the Helix 99 is the model that stays closest to the ski it updates. The changes here are narrower in scope and focused on construction, particularly the flex profile, rather than a wholesale redesign. What remains is a playful twin tip with a wood core that blends bamboo and poplar, a longer camber profile, and a ride that feels noticeably quieter underfoot than its dimensions suggest.

With 99 mm underfoot, the Helix 99 sits squarely in the roughly 100 mm twin tip category that many skiers find genuinely useful. It is wide enough to handle soft snow and off-trail terrain, narrow enough to feel responsive on groomers, and stable enough to stand on in the park. That combination is what makes this ski worth a closer look rather than a single-purpose tool.

Who This Product Is For

This ski suits riders who want one playful twin tip to cover a lot of ground: groomed runs, natural features around the hill, and the terrain park. The looser flex in the tips and tails compared with earlier versions makes it more approachable for skiers who like to butter, smear, and surf their turns rather than drive a stiff, race-bred platform.

It is also a sensible pick for anyone who has found thicker-cored freestyle skis appealing in feel but intimidating in flex. The Helix 99 keeps the damp, quiet character of a thicker core while opening up the flex enough to make ground work feel more natural.

Skiers who want a dedicated competition park ski or an ultralight touring build should look elsewhere. This is a versatile freestyle-oriented all-mountain ski, not a specialist in either direction.

Main Strengths

The headline strength is the core. Bamboo blended with poplar is unusual in this category, and it gives the ski a distinctive feel: quiet, damp, and smooth, with very little transmitted back through the boot. The bamboo blend also allows a thicker core profile, and that extra thickness is what produces the silence underfoot. For a ski this mobile, the smoothness stands out.

The second strength is the revised flex. Tips and tails have been loosened relative to the stiffer versions of this shape, so the ski is more amenable to buttering, surfiness, smearing, and other ground work while still holding a predictable platform. The longer camber profile remains part of the package.

Production has also moved from China to Europe, and the Helix remains one of the few models in the range to keep bamboo in the core. Neither detail changes how the ski performs, but both are worth knowing if where and how a ski is built matters to you.

Finally, the 99 mm platform is simply useful. It gives you a wider base to stand on for on-trail and off-trail skiing, and that width translates into confidence both in the air and on rails, natural features, and similar terrain.

How the Helix 99 Rides

On snow, the Helix 99 reads as a playful twin tip that has grown up slightly without losing its character. The longer camber profile keeps it engaged through turns, while the twin tip shape and looser extremities let it pivot and release easily when you want to slide, press, or smear.

The thicker core does most of the work in the feel department. It is a damp and smooth ski for how nimble it is, and that combination is rare at this width. You do not feel or hear much from the ski as it moves across variable snow, which makes long days on the hill less fatiguing than a chattery, thin-cored freestyle build.

Around the mountain, it handles man-made park features and natural terrain with equal willingness, then carries enough edge and stability to enjoy groomers on the way back. It is not built to be a competition-level park weapon at the highest levels of the sport, where narrower 100 mm-class twin tips are uncommon, but knowing that width is available underfoot gives many skiers confidence in the air and on features.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The trade-off for that thick, quiet core is weight. Measured in a 179 cm length with demo binding plates fitted, the ski came in at 2,191 g on the scale. Those plates typically account for around 200 g, which puts the bare ski just under 2,000 g. For a ski with no metal in its construction, that figure reflects the thicker core profile rather than added metal laminates.

Flex is the other thing to weigh up. The tips and tails have been loosened, but this is still a ski with a relatively stiff overall character compared with the softest freestyle options on the market. Riders coming from very soft, jib-oriented skis may find it firmer than expected at first, while stronger skiers will likely appreciate the support.

Size and Weight Notes

The 179 cm length tested here is a useful reference point for sizing. If you normally ski a twin tip around 100 mm underfoot, the Helix 99 will feel familiar, and the flex changes make it forgiving enough that sizing up is less of a penalty than it once was.

Keep binding choice in mind when comparing weights. Demo plates are convenient for testing but add roughly 200 g per ski, so a flat-mount setup will land noticeably lighter than the number on the scale. If you plan to spend most of your time on groomers and park laps, that difference is easy to live with. If you care about every gram, mount accordingly.

Buying Advice

Buy the Helix 99 if you want a playful, damp twin tip that works across the resort rather than a narrow specialist. The bamboo and poplar core is the reason to choose it over stiffer, metal-laminate alternatives, and the loosened tip and tail flex makes it more creative and more accessible than earlier versions of the same shape.

Skiers who mostly ride park and want maximum butterability should consider how firm the ski still feels underfoot, while those who prioritize stability at speed and quiet snow feel will find it an easy recommendation. Match the length to the terrain you actually ski most, and treat the binding choice as part of the weight decision rather than an afterthought.

Conclusion

The Liberty Helix 99 is a subtle update rather than a reinvention, and that is precisely why it makes sense. It keeps the bamboo and poplar core, the longer camber profile, and the twin tip shape that have made this line enjoyable for years, then loosens the flex just enough to open up buttering, smearing, and a more creative approach to the whole hill. The result is a quiet, damp, smooth ski that still feels mobile at 99 mm underfoot. If you want one freestyle-leaning twin tip for park laps, natural features, and everything in between, this is a confident, well-rounded choice.