✅ Our Headquarters – Kuhaugen
Where Arctic stories begin!
We’re proud to welcome you to our headquarters, “Kuhaugen”, a unique venue located just outside the main settlement of Longyearbyen.
Overlooking the vast Advent Valley and the iconic Opera Mountain, this location offers the ideal setting for Arctic storytelling, social gatherings, and cultural exchange.
Designed as an “Explorers’ Club”, the interior pays tribute to the golden age of polar exploration — with design elements inspired by the great expeditions of the 19th and 20th centuries. At Kuhaugen, the past meets the present: modern equipment and a warm atmosphere make it a perfect space for dinners, lectures, private events, concerts, and more.
We’re always open to new ideas!
📩 Contact us if you’d like to host an event or experience something truly special in the Arctic.
🧊 History
The story of Kuhaugen begins with dynamite. This old building was originally constructed as an explosives storage facility for the Norwegian coal mining company Store Norske Spitsbergen Kullkompani. Its name, “Kuhaugen,” translates to “the cow hill”, a nod to the cows that once grazed these slopes during Longyearbyen’s short summers.
Later, the building was repurposed as a hangar for a Dornier aircraft, adding a layer of aviation history to its rugged past. In the late 1990s, the Norwegian Academy for Polar Research took over the site, transforming it into a summer school facility for PhD students studying Arctic sciences.
In the winter of 2016, Better Moments moved in.
We stripped the interior back to its bones and, with the help of two skilled carpenters from southern Norway, brought it back to life — restoring its soul and infusing it with the spirit of the polar heroes who inspire us every day.
Today, Kuhaugen is more than a headquarters.
It’s a living tribute to Arctic legacy — and the starting point for every journey we take into the wild.
Roald Amundsen
Is recognized as the first person to, without dispute, have reached both poles. He is also known as having the first expedition to traverse the Northwest passage (1903–06) in the Arctic.
Fritjof Nansen
Was a polar explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and Nobel Peace prize laureate. He led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, traversing the island on cross-country skis. He won international fame after reaching a northern latitude record of 86°14′ during his North Pole expedition of 1893–96.
Otto Sverdrup
Otto Sverdrup crossed Greenland with Nansen, and was captain on board Fram when Nansen left with the dogs to the North Pole, on the first Fram Expedition. He was the captain on the second Fram expedition that charted 260.000(!!) square kilometres of the north west passage. Sverdrup continued on expeditions in Russian territory and is probably the most experienced polar explorer that ever lived.
Hjalmar Johansen
Hjalmar Johansen joined both Nansen on the ice towards the North Pole and was one of the important reasons that Amundsen succeeded on the south pole expedition. On the North Pole expedition, Johansen joined Nansen, dogsledding towards the North Pole, but turned around at 86°14′ and ended up at Franz Josephs land. Before returning to Norway as a hero.
Umberto Mobile
Umberto Nobile was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the period between the two world wars. He joined Amundsen and the airship Norge to be the first expedition to reach the North Pole, and a few years later, he tried the same with the airship Italia.
Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm
Adolf Henrik Lindstrøm was seen upon as the most important crewmember on any expedition. As a chef, he kept the spirits high with his excellent food. He joined Amundsen on the Gjøa and Fram expedition, and Otto Sverdrup on the second Fram expedition.