( CNN ) -- An Alaskan beat out 300 hirsute competitors from around the globe to take the top honor at the 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships on Saturday . Dan Sederowsky of Sweden shows off his moustache in Anchorage . David Traver may have had home-court advantage : He was a favorite of the crowd at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage , Alaska , in both the `` freestyle '' category , where just about anything goes , and the overall championship . His winning move ? He wove his beard into a basket-like cone that resembled a snowshoe . There were 17 officially sanctioned categories in the competition : eight styles of moustache , four varieties of partial beard and goatee combinations , and five categories of full beards . The facial hair Olympics got its start in 1990 in Germany , and the German team typically dominates the event . Photo gallery : best beards and moustaches » . This year 's contest is the second time the World Beard and Moustache Championships have been held in the United States -- Carson City , Nevada , hosted the event in 2003 . Video : Contestants strut their stuff in Anchorage » . Since 1995 , the contest has been held every two years . This year , competitors from 14 nations showed off their whiskers for the judges and a raucous crowd at the Anchorage venue . Karl-Heinz Hille of Germany came in second overall with a first-place finish in the Imperial Partial Beard category , and Jack Passion of San Francisco , California , placed third overall with his winning entry in the Natural Full Beard category .
Contest began in Germany in 1990 , now held twice a year . The winner is chosen by the public and judges from all over Europe. There are 17 official beard and moustache categories in the competition .