All countries have interesting traditions. Some roll cheese, others freeze their hair. Visitors to the Takhini Hot Springs in Yukon Province, Canada, have found an inventive way of letting their hair down, or, to be more accurate, putting it up.
The annual Hair Freezing Contest sees contestants compete by sculpting their hair into a host of painstaking poses, freezing it into place with the Canadian air.
This year a total of 288 entries are vying for victory in five separate categories – male, female, group, creative, and people's choice. The winners – and to be clear, this is a real and genuine competition – will be announced on April 1, and scoop $2,000 Canadian dollars in prize money.
The shortlist for the people's choice award was decided by an online vote. Here are the final five…
Impressive craftsmanship, we're sure you'll agree, and these elaborate, icy up-dos require patience and endurance as well as skill. According to the "how to" section on the competition website, entrants should soak their hair thoroughly in hot spring water, and then hold it in place until it turns pure white with ice and snow – including eyebrows and eyelashes.
Elsa could never.
For the frostiest follicles the air temperature needs to be -20°C or lower, and organizers suggest dipping your ears regularly below the water to avoid feeling the chill. When ready, visitors can call over a member of staff, who will snap a shot for submission.
This year has yielded an unusually strong field, and there were plenty of pics putting up stiff competition.
Here are some of the best:
@SecretaryBurgum/X
@Doug Ellin/X
@evanrachelwood/Instagram