On October 1st, 2005 in Berlin, Germany, 230 "rugged elegant" men (well maybe not all of them were "rugged elegant") competed in the World Beard and Moustaches championships. There were long ones, short ones, half-beards, Fu Manchu and traditional Handlebar moustaches, and even beards shaped like Berlin's famous Brandenburg Gate.

The "Brandenburg" model gentleman in the bottom row, 2nd from the right, is Elmar Weisser of Germany. He entered his beard, complete with German flags, in the "freestyle full beard" world championship and won.

His category was one of seventeen in all.

Juerg Biland AP photo credit: Roberto Pfeil

On Saturday, Juerg Biland from Gipf-Oberfrick, Switzerland, presented his 55-inch (1.40m) beard.

The other categories that gave the 230 competitors an opportunity to go home a champion included:

Moustaches

Natural Moustache
English Moustache
Dali Moustache
Handlebar Moustache
Wild West Moustache
Fu manchu
Imperial Moustache
Freestyle Moustache

Goatees

Natural Goatee
Musketeer
Sideburns
Freestyle Goatee

Beards

Full Beard Natural
Full Beard Styled Moustache
Garibaldi
Verdi
Full Beard Freestyle

This year's competitors came from many countries and continents including Germany, England, Scotland, the U.S., Australia, Switzerland, Italy, Africa, Holland, Kuwait, Hong Kong, Sweden and Austria, to name a few. Many of these gentlemen belong to beard and/or moustache teams or clubs.

Jurgen Draheim, the deputy president of Berlin's beard club, and the reigning European champion, explained yesterday:

The beard has to be well looked-after and, of course, it has to suit the person who is wearing it.

We have a lot of entries in the full beard category.

People who grow beards come from all walks of society.

We have simple workers and we have academics. I started growing mine as a revolt against my parents. My mother still tells me to shave it off.

Gels and hair products are permitted each year except in the natural moustache category.

Don Martin, from San Francisco said, "I sleep with mine under my pillow."

Others spend over an hour a day grooming their beards, moustaches and sideburns.

In addition to Weisser's win in the freestyle full beard category, thirteen of the other seventeen categories were won by Germans this year. Germany alone has fifteen beard clubs.

The first competition took place in 1990 in a small German village in the Black Forest called Hofen/Enz.

The 2003 event took place in the United States. The competition took place in Carson City, Nevada.

Most "Rugged Elegant" Moustache Man of 2003

You'll have to wait two years for the next world championship if you want to enter. The competition is a biennial event.

The 2007 World Beard & Moustache Championship is expected to take place in the British seaside city of Brighton.

Perhaps you can use the next two years to grow out your beard or moustache. But from the looks of these guys, if you're new to this, you might want to target the 2113 competition.

You may also want to invest a little more than $10 in the The World Beard and Moustache Championships : The First Official Book by Michael Ames and F. Stone Roberts.

As Ames and Roberts said in their book:

Some men are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them. But for a rare and noble few, greatness is achieved through growing the finest facial hair the world has ever seen.

The men are heroes. And we salute them.

But for these men, the title of hero is not enough. Only one title will do -- that of "World Beard and Moustache Champion."

In the meantime, Rugged Elegance recommends the Norelco 6853XL Reflex Plus Rechargeable Cordless/Cord Razor. Then again, we're not the experts. Perhaps you'll want to contact the organization behind the competition and ask them what their contestants use.

For further details, go to:

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "stylishly eccentric" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC