Each year at the Churer Fest, the Alpine Beard competition is held. It's a bit of an odd one as festivals go - and certainly one I've not heard of elsewhere!
Strict regulations apply to the beards, which have to be entirely natural, which are marked in a variety of categories by several judges.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of the Alpine Beard Festival - I've never seen one before. But some of the beards are as impressive as the costumes.
My personal advise on what to do and see in Rome
Mt Egmont seen from the King Edward Park playing fields in Stratford
The Stratford Glockenspeil in Taranaki
The Antelope - your local, dog friendly, beer friendly pub
Must see ancient monuments around Rome
Historical information about the gothic Antwerp Cathedral
What to see, where to stay and eat in historic Antwerp
Recommended hotels in Vienna, Salzburg and Bregenz
Europe - Travel information from around Europe
New Zealand - A personal guide to things to do, see, eat and drink in New Zealand
Taranaki pictures - A gallery of pictures from my travels in Taranaki
Berne - Information on and about Berne
Travel pictures - Pictures from my travels in Switzerland, Italy and New Zealand
Auckland - Travel information on about Auckland
Eclipse chasing - Essential total eclipse trip planning information from 2010 to 2019
Zähringen - Brief history of the Noble family of Zähringen
Marlborough Sounds - sunset seen from the Interislander - Sunset over the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand seen from the Interislander ferry
2011 travel pictures - Pictures and images from my 2011 travels in Switzerland, Antwerp and London
Mark Sukhija is a travel and wine blogger, photographer, tourism researcher, hat-touting, white-shirt-wearing, New Zealand fantatic and eclipse chaser. Aside from at least annual visits to New Zealand, Mark has seen eclipses in South Australia (2002), Libya (2006), China (2009) and Queensland (2012). After twelve years in Switzerland, Mark moved back to London in 2012. You can follow Mark on Twitter or Facebook