The Arctic town of Kirkenes is located about as far northeast as you can get in Norway, not far from the Russian border. It is located by a fjord branch of the Barents Sea, thus it has more of a drier inland climate rather than a humid sea climate. This is perfect for the Northern Lights, requiring a more or less clear sky. On top of that, the winters are cold throughout the season, with snow from December to April, or even longer.
Kaare used a couple of years to learn, plan and raise funds, and then in 2006 he was ready to build his first snow hotel in Kirkenes! Quite a risky business – of course he didn’t have any customers yet… and not so many the first year, some more the second year, and these days the Snowhotel is fully booked throughout the entire winter season! From the start Kaare has been devoted to offer quality to his guests, so he started out gathering passionate staff members; starting with Ronny Oestrem, who has been the general manager from the start and also a co-owner, then charming Anne from Finland joined the staff, and more passionate members have joined the Snowhotel throughout the years.