Beard and Moustache Championships

The World Beard and Moustache Championships was held in Trondheim, Norway, this month. I have declined to post about this biennial contest in the past only because there are so many outrageous entries that I can't narrow them down to a few representative examples! (See slideshows of the world and European contestants from CNN, The Telegraph, and Time.) The officials award 3 prizes in each of 17 categories, in addition to declaring 3 winners overall. The 1st prize winner in 2009 was David Traver from Anchorage, Alaska, whose beard - woven into the shape of a snowshoe (photo here) - represented 20" and 2 1/2 years of growth. After looking at the impressive facial ornamentation of so many entrants, I'm not even certain which category of beards and moustaches I favor. I do know one thing for sure: they require a lot of primping and preening! Burke Kenny, a 2007 winner, revealed that he had nurtured his beard and moustache daily for 4 of his 22 years, scrubbing it with Grandpa's Pine Tar soap, paddle brushing and trimming split ends. His advice: "If you're going to go for it, go big and go for quality."

(1st image, Bernhard Greller examines himself in the mirror; 2nd image, Hans-Peter Weis gets styled; 3rd image, Sigfried Weindl curls his beard); 4th image, Hans Peter Jahn applies hairspray to his moustache; 5th image, Elmar Weisser, several-time beard world champion, gets his beard styled; 6th image, Reinhard Buerker trims his beard.)