Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Best of a Hairy Situation

The Best of a Hairy Situation



David Traver
Anchorage, Alaska
Beard Team USA
South Central Alaska Beard and Moustache Club
Full Beard Freestyle









Karl-Heinz Hille
Berlin, Germany
Berlin Beard Club
Imperial Partial Beard









Jack Passion
San Francisco, California
Beard Team USA
Full Beard Natural










The United States is the world's new facial hair super power, having captured twelve world championship titles out of eighteen categories plus overall at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Anchorage, Alaska on May 23, 2009. Possessing home field advantage, the USA was able to dethrone Germany which had dominated this competition since its inception.

Hometown favorite and Beard Team USA member David Traver was crowned overall champ, having styled his beard to resemble an Alaska snowshoe which earned him top honors in the freestle full beard category. Meanwhile Germany's Karl-Heinz Hille's elaborate moustache earned him second. San Franciscan Jack Passion placed third with his long, red natural beard.

Nearly 300 competitors from 15 separate countries competed. All of the winners received engraved Alaska gold pans as trophies.

Germany came in second taking first-place honors in five categories. Other countries represented on the podium were England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and newcomer Canada.

The big winner was also the vice-president of the host organization, the South Central Alaska Beard and Moustache Club, which pulled out all of the stops to make to make the WBMC 2009 the biggest and best ever.



Unofficial Gold Pan Count Gold Silver Bronze Total
United States 12 7 10 29
Germany 5 7 5 17
England 1 2 3
Belgium 1 2 3
Switzerland 1 1
Netherlands 1 1
Italy 1 1
Canada 1 1

The WBMC is a biennial event that features competition in a variety of categories that include everything from the delicate Dali moustache to the outrageous full beard freestyle. The competitors appear before a panel of distinguished judges charged with the responsibility of awarding the coveted world titles to the best of the best.

The next big event will be the Beard Team USA Nationals in May, 2010. Location: TBA.

In 2007, the World Beard and Moustache Association, an organization made up of beard clubs representing some 10% of the participants at the World Beard and Moustache Championships, accepted the proposal of the Norwegian Moustache Club to hold the 2011 world championships in Trondheim, Norway in a room with a seating capacity of 250.