Photo Gallery: Facial Hair Frenzy
Facial Flair Bragging Rights at Beard Championships
A clean shave was no basis for bragging rights at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Trondheim on May 15. More than 160 contestants brought their carefully-coifed facial hair to the Norwegian city, showing off every style imaginable, from lovingly-grown locks to scrupulously-sculpted bristles.
Germany took home seven medals, just squeezing past the United States, which scored six in total. The overall win went to Germany, thanks to the impressive beard sported by Elmar Weisser, 47. Some might accuse the Black Forest resident of pandering to the judges, as he whittled his whiskers into an elk and a Norwegian flag.
Winning awards for facial hair is nothing new to Weisser, who took home the gold in the category "Full Beard, Freestyle" at the 2005 World Beard and Moustache Championships in Berlin. That time, he molded his whiskers into a miniature Brandenburg Gate. He also won the grand prize in Brighton, England in 2007, when he transformed his tresses into a scaled-down version of London's Tower Bridge.
"When my beard isn't styled, it hangs almost to my bellybutton," says Weisser. His sister played the part of stylist's assistant on Sunday, helping him coif his 'do for hours the morning of the competition.
Candidates from 15 countries packed their scissors, combs and styling gel to compete in multiple categories, including Fu Manchu, Musketeer and Dali Moustache. Razors, it's safe to assume, were left at home.
