For a long time, Abu Dhabians had anticipated that Marina Mall would be getting an indoor ski slope of its own to rival Dubai’s, but that just never happened. At least the gigantic reserved space at the very back of the shopping mall has not gone to waste and, after months of buzz, finally welcomed the capital’s first BOUNCE trampoline warehouse last month. And it actually does rival Dubai’s Al Quoz-based facility, we can testify.
Thirty per cent bigger, and boasting over 100 interconnected trampolines, BOUNCE Abu Dhabi is not just for rebound exercise enthusiasts in the capital. It features plenty of other ways to test your gravitational tolerance too, including a mammoth, never seen-before 40-metre slide with an exaggeratedly angled 70-degree drop (think something out of Yas Waterworld minus the water), as well as all the gear and games for slacklining and zip lining too.
A zip line runs across the sprawling venue with a dorsal harness so you can go head-first, Superman style, or just the regular way, if that already sounds scary enough. On the other end of the line awaits even more thrill courtesy of the
Quick Drop, an 18m freefall experience, similar to a very abbreviated bungie jump, that takes you through the ground floor into the depths of the lower basement (did we mention how big this place is?).
The new site also has a Super Tramp (four times the size of the standard mats), two giant air bags that contain a whopping 200 cubic metres of air between them, trampoline-supported slam dunk basketball nets, and two highly popular dodgeball courts with heated games running back to back (we squared off with little kids, who clearly come regularly, and the sweat was immense).
There is also a humongous performance area featuring a 5.5m Infinity Wall for amateur and aspiring Wallrunners, and a monster 19-metre fastrack trampoline for the ultimate tumbling kings in the capital.
They have really held nothing back at this incredible all-ages venue, and more is on the way. Cofounder Doran Davies says: “We’ve got a very big, very flexible space here so we certainly want to bring some of the events that we run in Dubai to Abu Dhabi.
BOUNCE Abu Dhabi has a zip line that runs across the venue..
“We run After Dark parties (with themed lighting, DJs and all that, really popular) so those are coming soon, as well as dodgeball tournaments and other rebound sport competitions, plus our popular BOUNCE Fit group exercise classes – all currently being organised.
“We fully intend to add a lot more products and programmes to the venue, so watch this space.”
You’re burning heaps of energy in a fun and safe environment here. In fact, according to NASA (who have used rebound exercise on their cadets), 10 minutes on the trampoline is a better workout than 33 minutes of running.
Come through just for fun with friends (they even have five party rooms for hire), or take your rebound sport practice to the next level with expert Flight Academy coaching and competition.
“Performance-wise, there is actually a lot to learn on the trampoline, lots of tricks you can do and progress through that are in the vein of Parkour – we actually have a few of the guys from UAE Parkour working for us as well,” adds Davies.
Adults will appreciate that not only is trampolining great for keeping you in shape, the trampoline bed absorbs the majority of the impact, so bones and joints are protected whilst exercising, improving general muscle health and core strength.
Not forgetting about all those stress-busting endorphins that get released while in flight, what’s on offer at BOUNCE Abu Dhabi is nothing but highly addictive, heartrate-pumping fun and energy for everyone.
WHAT: BOUNCE Abu Dhabi
WHERE: Marina Mall, Breakwater
COST: General access is Dh80 and includes grip socks, and Dh70 thereafter
CONTACT: Visit www.bounce.ae/abudhabi for more information
