To live in the cold and hunt for food in the wilderness, while trying not to be eaten by the animals you kill for survival. It sounds like an adventure movie, but this is the real-life Chip Hailstone and his family lead. A daredevil, Chip can even kill with his bare hands when none of his weapons, including his bow and arrow, are available. No wonder his motto is: Live for the day but plan for tomorrow.
The Hailstones are among the 6 families whose lifestyle is documented in the reality TV series Life Below Zero by National Geographic.
A life that many in today’s modern world would describe as primitive has made Hailstone something of a celebrity. A word of advice: don’t even say anything discriminatory about his fans’ hearing, or you’ll suffer serious tongue twisters. Follow us when we try to reveal some truth about this American hunter.
Chip Hailstone Biography, Children
Mr. Chip was born Edward V. Hailstone in 1969 in Kalispell, Montana as the son of Daniel Franklin Hailstone and Mary Lois Hailstone. The chip also grew up in Kalispell, where he learned the craft and skills of hunting and fishing.
During his late teenage years, more precisely at the age of 19, in 1988, Hailstone visited Alaska. As fate would have it, Chip’s visit soon became an unplanned permanent residence in Noorvik, a small town of about 700 inhabitants.
After living in Noorvik for a few years, Hailstone met his fellow hunter Agnes, an Alaskan-born woman from Inupiat. The couple developed from friends to lovers and later married. The exact date of their marriage is unknown, but judging by the age of their children, who also appear in Life Below Zero, Chip and Agnes probably formed the alliance in the mid-1990s.
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Agnes was born in 1972, making her only 3 years younger than her husband. Together the couple has 5 children, the daughters Tinmiaq, Iriqtaq, Mary, Caroline, and Qutan.
The daughters of Hailstone have not neglected their academics, despite their active role in the family’s struggle for survival. Iriqtaq graduated from high school in 2015 and went on to college. Both Iriqtaq and Mary were active athletes in school, with the latter serving as the basketball captain of her team in her first year of college. Iriqtaq has a child who makes her father Chip her grandfather.
Agnes also had two sons from her previous relationship, Douglas and Jon. They are also full-time hunters. The oldest, Douglas, born in the 1980s, is married to Gloria Iyatunguk and they have 5 children together. Jon is also married and has children.
While the family lives mainly near the Kobuk River of Noorvik, the Hailstones hike seasonally so as not to miss the best the wilderness has to offer. Besides eating the game they hunt, the Hailstones also make use of the non-edible part of their game by processing it into handicrafts and handicrafts with which they earn their living. Most of their trade, however, is done through barter.
Why He Is In Jail
Unfortunately, Chip Hailstone was on the wrong side of the law. In a case that goes back to July 2011, Chip was convicted on two counts of perjury and making false statements to police officers.
As a result, he was sentenced to a three-year suspended sentence. After years of appealing against his 15-month prison sentence behind bars and claiming five counts of misconduct, he lost and had to face his conviction. Chips would be incarcerated at the Anchorage Correctional Complex prison starting in 2018.
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So how exactly did Chip get himself into trouble? According to the story, Chip claimed that an Alaskan state police officer, Christopher Bitz, physically assaulted his then 17-year-old daughter Tinmiaq.
According to his interview with Arctic Sounder, Chip reported that the officer held his daughter in a submissive grip after she held out her hands to him as she spoke. However, another Trooper, Gordon Young, denied Chip’s allegations in his testimony at the arraignment. The chip also told the press that the Trooper’s actions left him and his family in fear for their lives.
On behalf of his daughter, Chip filed a restraining order against the Trooper. Despite his appeal, he was still found guilty of perjury. Many of his fans have expressed their disappointment at Chip’s conviction, saying that the length of his detention is unfair. However, while he is serving his sentence, his family would continue to perform in the show without him.
Other Facts
The net worth of Chip Hailstone is estimated at $100,000.
Due to tribal and federal hunting laws, to which Chip is bound, he cannot hunt marine mammals, as these are reserved for local people. While his wife is a tribal member, marrying her makes him her husband, nothing more.