| Real Name: | Edward V Hailstone |
| Birthday: | March 8, 1969 |
| Net Worth: | $250,000 |
| Height: | 187 cm |
| Occupation: | American Trapper/Hunter, Television Personality |
Chip Hailstone is an American television personality. He got famous when he and his family began appearing in the National Geographic reality television series Life Below Zero. Some might say his wife Agnes Hailstone is the bigger star of the show, but they share the spotlight.
Life Below Zero premiered in 2013, and since then, Chip has been a regular cast member. How much do you know about his life? Let’s take a look.
Contents
Life Below Zero
Before we talk about Chip and his life, let’s take a look at the popular reality TV series Life Below Zero. The documentary television series follows people living in remote areas of Alaska. All members of the cast survive off the land, making money through different ventures, and dealing with the challenges that come with living in Alaska.
Chip and his wife Agnes are among the original members. His wife Agnes is one of the longest-appearing personalities on the show. She is an Inupiaq born in Noorvik. Chip and Agnes have five biological children together, and two more from her previous marriage.
With that in mind, who are the other cast member?
- Sue Aikens is a woman born in 1963, and the sole resident of the Kavik river camp in northern Alaska. Her camp is located 197 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In the reality TV show, she is famous for her motto, “if it hurts, don’t think about it”
- Andy Bassich lives on the Yukon River near Eagle, Alaska, with his 25 dogs. Andy to Alaska from Washington, the capital of the United States with his wife Kate Bassich. But after they got a divorce, she returned to modern life, and he continued living in Alaska with his new girlfriend Denise
- Glenn Villeneuve moved from Burlington to Alaska in 1999, living there alone in Chandalar. His wife and children joined him later on
- Jessie Holmes is a fisherman, hunter, and dog sled racer living with 40 dogs in Brushkana, Alaska
- Ricko DeWilde is another Alaskan member, an Alaskan Athabaskan, who moved to a remote cabin near Huslia with his family. His young children joined him and he teaches them about subsistence living
- Erik Salitan and Martha Mae Salitan are a young couple who live 67 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Wiseman Alaska. They are well-versed in wilderness living
Quick Bio
Mr Hailstone was born in March 1969, in Kalispell, Montana. He grew up in Kalispell where he learned the tricks and trade of hunting. There is not much information about the early life of the TV personality.
He graduated from high school, but he loved hunting more than going to school. That is what made him stay in Alaska. He came to the remote place in 1988 and since then, calls it home.
He grew in popularity after he and his family were asked to be part of the Nat Geo reality TV series Life Below Zero. Chip and his family have learned all the tricks of surviving the harsh climate.
The TV series began airing in 2013, and Chip has been part of it since the beginning. He did make a brief pause when he went to jail, but more on that later on.
He is a skilled hunter and is part of the many subsidence hunters in Alaska. Chip is proficient with a bow and arrow, as well as a riffle. When he has to, he can use his bare hands as well. It was his father that taught him hunting, fishing, and craft-making.
Speaking about his parents, their names are Daniel Franklin Hailstone and Mary Lois Hailstone. Here is another fun fact, the original name his father gave him was Edward V Hailstone.
He dreamed of being a hunter from an early age. Chip was fascinated by outdoor living. The first time he stepped into Alaska, he was 19 years of age. That was in 1988, and he arrived in Noorvik.
At the time, he didn’t think he would be sticking for that long. After being attracted by the wildlife, his family settled down near the Kobuk River.
Marriage To Agnes
In the Life Below Zero TV show, Chip appears alongside his wife Agnes Hailstone, and their seven children. They have five biological children and two children from Agnes’s previous marriage. His wife was born in 1972, and she is a native-born from an Alaskan tribe, Inupiaq. The two met in Noorvik in 1990 and quickly became good friends.
They got married in 1992 and have remained together ever since. Their five daughters are Iriqtaq Hailstone, Mary Hailstone, Caroline Hailstone, Qutan Hailstone, and Tinmiaq Hailstone.
His wife is recognizable by the chin tattoo given to her when she entered puberty. It is a sign of maturity and a hard-working woman.
Who Is His Brother?
Thanks to the show we learned that Chip has a younger brother, Willie. He made his debut during Season 15 and works as a commercial fisherman.
They went together with their fishing rods for the first time in about 25 years. Chip, Agnes, and Willie headed out on their snowmobiles.
But they suffered an accident. Everything was going well until Agnes noticed that Willie was no longer following them. They went back to check on him and saw him lying on a sled, screaming.
Willie crashed his snowmobile and broke his wrist.
Life in Jail
Why was Chip in jail? Well, the TV personality was arrested in 2017 and sentenced to 15 months in prison for two counts of perjury and making false statements to police.
The Alaskan resident was sentenced to 15 months behind bars. Several years earlier, in 2011, Chip filed a lawsuit claiming an Alaska state trooper had assaulted his daughter. Then, in another incident, he claimed a Noorvik resident had pointed a gun at his daughter after an altercation.
But because of false claims, he had to spend 15 months in prison. During that period, his family stepped up and took on his role. He was away from his family during an important hunting season.
Yet, once he got back, he said, “I’ve got real rifles in my hand, I’m back to being my old self. I’m going to have a good time because I missed out on this last year”.
Is He Active On Social Media?
Chip Hailstone is one of the more popular members of Life Below Zero. Naturally, fans would love to get in touch with him and follow his adventures on social media.
But the thing about living in Alaska is that it is a remote location where internet and cell phone reception is weak, or non-existent.
So no, Chip is not active on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Net Worth
Chip and his wife Agnes joined Life Below Zero in 2013. According to most reports, he has a net worth of more than $250,000.
Unlike his wife, he was not part of all seasons because he had to spend some time in prison. But following his time in prison, he went back to his normal life. He continued coming to the show and remains one of the most popular cast members.
Per some reports, his salary from the show is $45,000 annually.
