Fashion statement, face warmer, or emblem of the North? Yukoners talk about their beards

Sometimes it can seem like beards in the Yukon are like sunglasses at the beach — so commonly worn, they’re hardly worth talking about.

Unless you’re a bearded Yukoner. Many seem more than happy to talk about their facial hair, why they have it, how they care for it, and what it represents.

"I have been ‘team beard’ for many, many years," said Whitehorse resident Michael Kasprzak.

"I rock that beard everywhere I go. Whether I'm in the Caribbean on a beach or shoveling the driveway in -40, that beard stays with me."

Kasprzak, whose facial follicle folly began 40 years ago, uses conditioner, oils, and regular brushing to maintain his look. He says he's developed a more involved hair routine than his wife.

Kasprzak describes his beard as an “epic” style of the North, and says it’s sparked many conversations in his travels.

"When I say, 'oh, I'm from the Yukon,' they see my beard and go, 'oh, absolutely. You look like a Yukoner,'" he said.

"That's kind of what the beard represents: the North."

John Driscoll lives in the Ibex Valley, just west of Whitehorse. He describes his beard as a seasonal thing.

"I am team beard, at least in the winter," Driscoll said. "I do some seasonal ice climbing guiding where I am out climbing on frozen waterfalls and ice with all my gear on, and I love having my beard in those cases."

Like Kasprzak, Driscoll has found that people seem to associate beards with Yukon living.

“I get a lot of compliments, especially in the Yukon where people are like, 'why don't you have a real Yukon beard like that?' to other people while they're pointing at my lovely beard," Driscoll said.

Driscoll said his beard is pretty low-maintenance, requiring only a brush and some oil every now and then. He said the only challenges he faces at times are when he's eating ice cream or soup — but he said even that is nothing his beard can't handle.

Bill Kendrick, the former mayor of Dawson City, Yukon, is another long-standing member of “team beard,” though he said he was a late bloomer.

"I don't think I was even capable of growing much of a beard until my early 20s," Kendrick said.

He believes having a beard in the Yukon definitely has its benefits, especially during the colder months.

"It does keep your face warm at –45," Kendrick said.

Dr. Tara Stehelin is an assistant professor at Yukon University who teaches biology and whose research focuses on wildlife ecology, and climate. She said having hair is characteristic of mammals, and one reason is for warmth.

"An interesting side fact is that most heat is actually lost from the forehead, and the palms of your hands — which are the only places we don't have hair follicles," she said.

"So even if it's a very small beard or a tiny bit of facial hair, it's going to add to the warmth factor a little bit."