Indoor climbing in Hawalli: an hour on the wall with a coach for KD 7.500

Tucked inside E-mall on Beirut Street in Hawalli, Ascend has been running an indoor climbing gym since 2017. The walls are indoors, the landings are thick crash mats, and the gym supplies all the kit: shoes, harness, rope and belay devices. If you have never climbed before, sportswear is all you need to bring.

The easy way in: a coached hour

The Guided Climbing Class is one hour for KD 7.500, aimed at first-timers, beginners and intermediate climbers. A coach stays with you for the whole session, works on your hand and foot placement, and talks you up the route until you top out. Booking is through the gym’s online booking page; when we checked, there was a slot on Thursday 29 October at 6pm.

For children

The Youth Academy class is for ages 7 to 13, one hour for KD 7.500, covering climbing skills and rope work. For children who want to keep going, the academy sells a 10-class package, valid for two months, at KD 42.500 per child. The gym’s minimum age is 3.

Courses

Four courses, each two to three hours and KD 25:

• Intro to Climbing: basic technique, falling safely onto the mats, and using the auto-belays.
• Top Rope 101: knots, belaying a partner, and rope handling.
• Lead Climbing: clipping as you go, rope management and fall safety, indoors or out.
• Lead Belaying: paying out slack for a lead climber and catching their falls.

Finding it

• Address: Block 6, Beirut Street, Hawalli, inside E-mall.
• Hours: 2:30pm to 11pm, as listed on the gym’s Visit Kuwait page.
• Phone: +965 6078 2255.

Photo: an indoor bouldering wall at a gym outside Kuwait, not Ascend. By Ka23 13, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Source: Ascend’s website (climbwithascend.com) and booking page (ascendkw.bookpeep.com), and the “Rock climbing experience at Ascend” listing on Visit Kuwait (visitkuwait.gov.kw), all read on 25 October 2026.