Bearded & Tschorn: 30 days to the World Beard and Moustache Championships
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The dude with the stylin’ ‘stache? That’s Alexander Antebi. Our compatriot Jessica Gelt over at Brand X happened to snap his picture at Coachella last weekend (see her full photo gallery here). In 2007 that handlebar won him international acclaim at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Brighton, England.
And it just so happens that one month from today, bearded and mustachioed elite from around the globe will converge on Anchorageto determine whose tonsoral topiaries should be recognized as the world’s best facial hair in 18 categories. (Antebi recently told me he wasn’t sure he’d be heading to Anchorage to try a repeat.)
The contest is held every two years, and has been held in the U.S. only once before (in Carson City, Nev., in 2003). At the last gathering of the grizzly (Brighton in ‘07), Beard Team USA pulled down top honors in five categories. This year, with the home court advantage, and a deep bench of beard-bearing Americans, team founder and captain Phil Olsen thinks BTUSA stands to improve on that. (In case you were wondering, the Germans have dominated the competition for years.)
Over the next month, in the lead up to the championships, I’ll be introducing you to some of the men in pursuit of the hirsute title as well as past winners. I’ll be chronicling beard-growing strategies, WBMC-related merchandise and we’ll get Captain Olsen’s analysis of who might represent the best hope for America’s ascent to bearded glory.
And then, in the third week of May, I’ll wing my way north to cover the World Beard and Mustache Championships for the Los Angeles Times. That’s why, a month ago, in order to better walk in the shoes of my bearded brethren, I decided to forsake the safety razor, jettison the Gillette and toss out the trimmers. Since then my salt-and-pepper stubble has grown to an inch-and-a-half long, and I’ve begun to resemble something between the post-spiderhole Saddam Hussein and a Wooly Willy toy with most of the iron filings pulled toward the chin.
Until I shave at the end of Memorial Day weekend, I’ll muse on all things mustache-related and babble about beards here at All the Rage under the header ‘Bearded & Tschorn.’
-- Adam Tschorn
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