If you live with a facial-hair enthusiast, like I do, you might already know about the World Beard and Moustache Championships held recently in Norway. My husband dropped some heavy hints about visiting Trondheim this spring for the event, which was temptingly scheduled on May 15, just two days before Norway's national day celebrations. While our family budget couldn't accommodate a spontaneous beard-inspired jump across the pond, there were plenty of photos taken to document the event. And I must admit, there were some truly impressive displays of facial hair.
The biennial contest offers competition in 17 different categories and this year attracted contestants from 15 countries. While a world beard championship might seem frivilous, Ole Skibnes, president of the host Norwegian Moustache Club, warns that there's more to this event than meets the eye. "This is not a circus," Skibnes said in a recent CNN interview." You can't just judge the size of the moustache—you have to see if the hair is well-groomed, see if it suits the person, see if it makes them look good."
This year's winner, Elmar Weissar, a hairdresser from Germany, took the coveted title of "best beard" for a third time. With a not-so-subtle nod to his Norwegian hosts, he sculpted his gravity-defying whiskers to include a moose and a Norwegian flag.
After the event, participants were invited to stay in Trondheim to participate in the city's Syttende Mai parade.
While the next world championship is still two years away, it's not too early to start growing that beard. Anyone up to the challenge of representing Sons of Norway in the 2013 competition in Germany?
Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.
1 comment:
I just remembered I saw this German man in some kind of world-record article. I thought it was a one time thing! Interesting to see a Beard competition is held in Norway xD.
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