 The Norwegian Polar Institute decided to establish a summer station . This was built during the summer of 1989 and 1990 , resulting in a 100 @-@ square @-@ meter ( 1 @,@ 100 sq ft ) building with room for eight people . Construction required 300 tonnes ( 300 long tons ; 330 short tons ) of materials to be hauled from the coast and the station was officially opened on 17 February 1990 . The station took its name from the surrounding jagged mountains , which resemble trolls of Norse mythology . The first overwintering occurred in 2000 , when a South Pole expedition used the camp as a base . 
