Viking Magazine - January 2013 - 9

King Whiskers
C
rowned the
" Supreme Grand
Whiskerino of the Universe "
in 1923, 77-year-old
Norwegian-born farmer
Hans Langseth of Barney,
N.D., and his then legendary
17-plus-foot beard had
achieved the status of
national curiosity.
Featured in a wide range
of publications such as
" Ripley's Believe It or Not! "
and Life magazine, Langseth,
also known as " King
Whiskers, " quit shaving
at the age of 28. " I started
with curiosity. I wondered
how long the beard would
grow, " he said.
As his wavy, chestnutcolored
beard grew, so did
his reputation. Whether
appearing in the circus as
" Langseth, The LongBearded
Man " or setting
new beard length records
BY JEFF M. SAUVE
with his beard reaching an
estimated 18 feet 6 inches,
Langseth was described in
a newspaper clipping as " a
man of dignity and quiet
habits. " He let his beard do
the talking.
Eventually his beard
overtook his 6-foot stature
and needed special
attention. Langseth
maintained his abundant
chin whiskers by wrapping
it end over end on a
little stick and placed the
coiled hair in a protective
knapsack inside his
waistcoat, giving him
the appearance of man
with a slight paunch. In
the summer the beard
screened his eyes from
the glaring sun and in
the winter served as a
warm muffl er.
After his death in 1927,
Langseth's beard of more
Adventure Bound!
N
orwegians spend 25 billion kroner,
roughly 4 billion USD, a year on travel.
But recently, not only are they circling the
globe-they are packing hiking boots, skis
and a fearless spirit.
Norwegians are charting extreme
adventure expeditions more than ever
before. Hvitserk, a fi rm in Norway that
specializes in adventure travel, reports that
last year was their most successful to date,
up a full 50 percent.
Trygve Sunde Kolderup, the manager of
Hvitserk, believes adventure travel is
second nature to Norwegian. " We
are keen travelers and are used
to being outside in nature;
trekking and skiing have long
been part of our culture,
so that's what
we do on holiday. "
Kolderup says recent popular destinations
include East Africa, the Himalayas, and
Myanmar, along with Corsica for shorter
tours. Some trips can be extremely demanding,
such as a 50-day ski expedition to the
South Pole or a trek up Africa's Kilimanjaro,
but Hvitserk also offers a family camp in
Norway's glaciers where young and old can
enjoy a hike at a more leisurely pace.
A holiday trek on Mount Kilimanjaro attacts adventurous Norwegians.
sonsofnorway.com VIKING JANUARY 2013 9
Hans Langseth (1846-1927) at age 66 seated in ornate chair
with beard draped over his shoulder and down to his hand.
than 50 years was fi nally
cut by family members
and donated in 1967 to
the Smithsonian Institution
where occasionally
it has been displayed to
the amazement of many.
Jeff M. Sauve serves
as an archivist for the
Norwegian-American
Historical Association in
Northfi eld, Minn.
SPREAD
THE
WORD
Reiselyst (rai'-seh-leest) = Wanderlust
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - January 2013

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