America Dominates World Beard and Moustache Championships

USA! USA! USA!

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.

You can see the overall winner, Pete Traver, pictured here. It’s nice to see America representing in the beard world. Now I’m actually a little sad that I shaved my winter beard off a couple of days ago.

FILED UNDER: Entertainment, , ,
Alex Knapp
About Alex Knapp
Alex Knapp is Associate Editor at Forbes for science and games. He was a longtime blogger elsewhere before joining the OTB team in June 2005 and contributed some 700 posts through January 2013. Follow him on Twitter @TheAlexKnapp.

Comments

  1. Dave Schuler says:

    I blame Peter the Great for Russia’s poor showing. Had it not been for his forcing the boyars to shave their beards I’m sure that Russia would have used its natural gifts to good advantage.

  2. markm says:

    Beard Team USA member

    ….not gunna touch it…errr…nevermind.