Aftershock is a Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang shuttle coaster at Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho. Riders sit below the track with their legs dangling as twin 194-foot catch-car towers launch the train through a cobra roll and a vertical loop, first forward and then backward, topping out around 65 mph.
The ride wasn’t built new for Silverwood. It originally opened as Déjà Vu at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, in October 2001, running there until the park closed it in October 2007. Silverwood bought the coaster, had Vekoma overhaul it and Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction help rebuild it, and reopened it as Aftershock on July 21, 2008. It’s now recognized as the last operating Giant Inverted Boomerang in North America.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Silverwood Theme Park, Athol, Idaho
- Manufacturer: Vekoma
- Model: Giant Inverted Boomerang
- Opened: July 21, 2008 (originally 2001 as Déjà Vu at Six Flags Great America)
- Height: About 194 ft (59 m)
- Top speed: About 65 mph
- Length: About 1,204 ft
- Inversions: 3 (ridden both forward and backward)
The Ride Experience
Aftershock uses a catch-car lift system to haul its single train up one of two nearly 200-foot towers, then drops it through a cobra roll and a vertical loop before the whole sequence repeats with the train running backward through the same elements. The eight-car train seats riders four across with their legs hanging free below the track, a signature of Vekoma’s inverted boomerang design.
With only three inversions but a forward-and-backward layout, riders experience each element twice per cycle, which is part of what made the Giant Inverted Boomerang format so intense — and part of why so few of them are still standing.
From Déjà Vu to Aftershock
Six Flags Great America opened this exact ride as Déjà Vu in 2001, one of several Giant Inverted Boomerangs the chain installed at its parks in the early 2000s. Reliability issues plagued the model across the chain, and Six Flags closed its Déjà Vu units by the late 2000s.
Silverwood announced in January 2008 that it had acquired the relocated ride, working with Vekoma on mechanical and control overhauls and with Rocky Mountain Construction on the rebuild before it reopened that July as Aftershock — outlasting every other Giant Inverted Boomerang in North America.
Explore more: Explore more roller coasters.
Aftershock FAQs
Where is Aftershock located?
At Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho.
What type of coaster is Aftershock?
A Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang shuttle coaster with 3 inversions that riders experience forward and then backward.
Is Aftershock a new ride?
No. It originally operated as Déjà Vu at Six Flags Great America from 2001 to 2007 before Silverwood relocated and reopened it in 2008.
Get More from Aftershock
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Aftershock, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Alton / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.