Finn
THE DRIVER
Theflirty, formidableMary-AnnDahle isoneof
Svalbard’sgreatcharacters–andMary-Ann’s
Polarrigg is thequirkiest stay in town.“I like
itwhenpeopleare laughing,happy, singing,”
shesays.“Lifeshouldn’tbesoserious.”But
forallher levity, thePolarriggenhasbeena
serious labourof love.Mary-Annfirstcame to
workasawaitressatKroa in 1997. She later
startedherowncleaningcompany,andsoon
cameacross the rig,whichwasbeingusedas
accommodation forcontractors.“I thought:
Wow, imaginewhat I coulddowith this.” In
March 1999, shemanaged tobuypartof the
building,andopened thatOctober.“Itfilledup
from thefirstday,”shesays.“Wehadminers
outsidewaitingon thedoorstep.”Shehas
beenexpandingbitbybiteversince,buying
moregraduallyandaddingmore luxurious
suites to thebasichostel rooms in themain
partof thehotel,aswell asaconference room
andAurora, theworld’snorthernmost spa.
“I’vehad tofight foreverything,”shesays.“To
serve food, toservealcohol.Everythingwasa
no,but I’vemade itayes.”
polarriggen.com
FinnTangenmayonlyhavebeen
here since2012, afterquittinga jobas
apsychiatrist inTromsø–but he’s a
goodman toknow.Not onlydoeshe
have thebestmoustache inSvalbard,
but theMaxi Taxi driver-cum-tour guide
knowseverything that’s goingon in town
(“Even the things I shouldn’t know”). An
hour’s tour costsNOK650and is a solid
introduction toSvalbard.
taxiguiden.no
Terje
THE SHIPS GUY
TerjeAunevik,who runs themainportagencyon
Svalbard, is typicalofa lotof localbusinessmen in
thathe’sbeenaround.Hecamehereasacarpenter
in 1998,building thegorgeousTrapper’sHotel and
itsKroa restaurant for theBasecampSpitsbergen
tourcompany,beforeworking for thecompany
itselfasaguideandmanager. “Wesaw thecruise
shipscoming in, and I thought itwasweird thatno
onewas thinkingaboutall thosepassengersarriving
off theboat– therewassomuchpotential there.”
In2001, Terjebought a local ship’sagency for
Basecamp, and in2005 turned it intoa separate
company, PolePositionLogisticsAS,widening
its scopewell beyond tourism.Aswell as sorting
all the logistics for cruise ships, theyhelp
arrangeRussianNorthPoleexpeditionsand ship
everything fromdeadbodies topolarbearbrains
for scientific research. Terje says the traffic isonly
going to intensify: “Longyearbyenhasbecome
thecapital of theArctic–80per cent of all polar
activitycomes throughhere.”
pole-position.no
Mary-Ann
THE HOSTEL QUEEN
Awood-fired
outdoor hot tub
overlookedby a
busty statuette.
AnoldStoreNorske
miningbus turned
into a smoking room.
Bizarrephotos
– think topless
play-fightingminers,
nakedwomenwith
polar bears and
Mary-Annherself in
full vaudevillemode.
A taxidermiedpolar
bear in thedining
room.
A slightlybattered
acoustic guitar
that guests are
encouraged toplay.
AnArctic
restaurant in the
“winter garden”.
Things you’ll
find at
Mary-Ann’s
Svalbard
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People—
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