Open to everyone  All are invited!

Dates: May 8 to May 19, 2011.

Itinerary:

Sun, May 8 – Depart Seattle at 4:30 pm or New York (JFK) at 8:30 pm for Reykjavik, Iceland.

Mon, May 9 — Arrive in Iceland.  Transfer by bus to hotel or hostel in Reykjavik, the capital city.  Iceland is a great place to visit, with volcanoes, geysers, waterfalls, hot springs, night life, and weird food.  Rather than having a planned schedule while in Iceland, we will just plan as we go.  Some people may want to go to the famous Blue Lagoon, others may want to rent cars and explore the countryside, some will just hang out at one of the city’s many public swimming facilities.

Thurs, May 12 – Fly from Iceland to Bergen, Norway.  We will arrive in Bergen at 12:20 pm and have the afternoon and early evening to check out Bergen. In the evening we will board one of the Hurtigruten cruise ships for an 8 pm departure for a 36-hour cruise along the spectacular Norwegian coast to Trondhjem with several stops along the way.  The Hurtigruten is billed as “the world’s most beautiful sea voyage.”

Fri, May 13 – Onboard the Hurtigruten.  Meals are available for purchase.

Sat, May 14 — Arrive in Trondhjem at 8 am.  Check into the Chesterfield Hotel or the Trondhjem Vandrerhjem (hostel) where we will be staying for the next four nights.  The Chesterfield is a short walk for the official BTUSA hangout, Norges Først Aquavitbar, where there are 53 kinds of aquavit (Norwegian schnapps) available for tasting.  It is also 5- minute walk to the Prinsen Hotell, where the WBMC takes place.  The hostel is about a 15-minute walk from downtown and the Prinsen.

The Norwegian Moustache Club will be welcoming us and our other friends with a party on Saturday night.  There may be an admission charge, not included in the tour price.

Sun, May 15 — World Beard and Moustache Championships.

Mon, May 16 – Optional tours in and around Trondhjem organized by the Norwegian Moustache Club.  Not included in the tour price.

Tues, May 17 – Today is Norway’s national holiday, similar to the Fourth of July.  We and the other WBMC contestants are invited to walk in the parade through the middle of Trondhjem.  This will be one of the highlights of the trip.  Norwegians are very enthusiastic about their national holiday and will be in a festive mood as they greet us in the parade.

Wed, May 18 – Depart at 8:35 am by train.  Arrive in Oslo at 3:11 pm.  Check into the Comfort Hotel Boersparken, right by the train station or the Anker Hostel nearby.

Thurs, May 19 – Fast train to Oslo Gardermoen Airport for 2:25 pm departure to Iceland.  Transfer in Iceland to Seattle (arrive at 5:45 pm) or to New York (arrive at 7:00 pm).

Accommodations: You have a choice between hotel and hostel accommodations.  Those booking hotel accommodations will have private rooms with private baths.  Those booking hostel accommodations will share a bunk room with others in our group and may have to go down the hall to use the bathroom.

Cost:

	Double occupancy	Single occupancy	Hostel
From New York (JFK)	$2299	$3142	$1986
From Seattle	$2449	$3292	$2136

These prices are per person and include round-tip airfare, accommodations during the trip, entry into the championships, transportation from Bergen to Trondhjem on the Hurtigruten, train fare from Trondhjem to Oslo, breakfast each morning in Trondhjem and Oslo, a BTUSA shirt, and a very cool BTUSA name tag.  Those booking hostel accommodations will receive breakfast in Reykjavik as well.

If you are willing to admit to being at least 67 years old, subtract $100.

Booking and payment: The prices listed here are available now and are based on the current exchange rate.  They are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed until I receive your payment, so I strongly suggest paying as soon as you can.  I will need a deposit of $600 by February 1 and payment in full by April 1.

Please send a check payable to World Beard and Moustache Championships, LLC to PO Box 800, Tahoe City, CA 96145.  I am not set up to take credit cards, but you can use Paypal as long you pay any Paypal fees yourself.  I will need to know the full names and birthdates of the people who are traveling.  Be sure to specify which city you want to depart from (Seattle or JFK) and whether you want hostel or hotel accommodations.  Also let me know your shirt size and how you want your name tag to read (name and home town).

Special notes: We will have inside cabins on the Hurtigruten.  An upgrade to an outside cabin costs $40 per person.

Included in the prices quoted here is approximately $350 for taxes, airport fees, and fuel charges, which may change even after you pay. In this case the airline will charge me extra and I will have to ask you to reimburse me for any extra charges.  Also, if we end up with fewer than 15 people traveling with the group, the airline is going to charge an extra $50 per person, which I will ask you to reimburse me for too.  Sorry about this.  There doesn’t seem to be any way around it.

Please prepare yourself in advance to be shocked by prices in Norway.  Here are some:  Pint of beer — $12.25; shot of aquavit — $14.65; ride on city bus — $5.17; Large pepperoni pizza at Egon — $47.41; Big Mac, fries, coke — $15.00.

Jack Passion says in his beard book, The Facial Hair Handbook, “The NHL playoff beard is a commitment to your team as they play their way to the Stanley Cup. When your team loses, you have to shave. Moral of the story? Losers shave.” We agree.

The first ever Beard Team USA National Beard and Moustache Championships will take place on Saturday, June 5, 2010, in Bend, Oregon.

There will be competition in four separate categories. The winner in each category will walk away with a cool $1000. So that everyone gets a shot at the cash, the fifth $1000 prize will go to a contestant selected at random.

Categories

1. Best moustache. Beards are allowed in this category but the contestants will be judged on their moustaches only;

2. Best partial beard. Includes goatees, van dykes, sideburns, musketeers, etc.;

3. Best full beard. Styling aids are permitted;

4. Freestyle. Anything goes. Anything. Be creative.

Like membership in BTUSA, the competition is open to everyone. There are no annoying qualifying events, drug tests, or dues.Located on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon, Bend offers fly-fishing, rafting, golf, canoeing, mountain biking, hiking, and possibly even late season skiing and snowboarding at nearby Mount Bachelor. Did I mention beer? Bend is the home of seven microbreweries including the famous Deschutes Brewery practically next door to the Les Schwab Amphitheater where the competiton will take place.Visit Bend is a major sponsor of the event.The championships will take place in conjunction with the 8th Annual Balloons Over Bend hot air balloon festival.Stay tuned for information on registration, lodging options, transportation from the airport in Portland, and everything else you will need to know.

For now all members, fans, and friends of the WBMC are asked to:

1. Make plans to be in Bend on June 5;
2. Join Beard Team USA if you haven’t already done so;
3. Tell everyone they know about the BTUSA Nationals;
4. Keep growing their beards and moustaches for America.

Beard Team USA photo courtesy of Devon Blunden.