Team NWT Breaks Records with 217-Foot Knuckle Hop

Chris Stipdonk of Team Northwest Territories set both an Arctic Winter Games record and world record on Wednesday afternoon in the knuckle hop. Stipdonk, originally from Fort Simpson, NWT, now a Yellowknife resident, hopped 217 feet to claim the Gold Ulu for the event and set a new Games record. The previous Arctic Winter Games was 191 feet and 10 inches. Stipdonk already held the world record for the sport, which had previously been 206 feet. 

The knuckle hop mimics the motion of a seal on the ice. Athletes propel themselves forward using only their knuckles and toes while in a planked push up position. The sport demands significant strength, endurance, and a high tolerance for pain. 

Stipdonk, 40, has been vocal about adding the Arctic Winter Games record to his list of achievements. Speaking to CBC in 2023 he noted he felt pressure to break the record. After setting the new record on Wednesday, he told Cabin Radio that “I’ve been chasing that Arctic Winter Games record for I don’t know how many years.”  

Stipdonk was just three feet shy of the Arctic Winter Games record when he competed in 2023, coming in first with a distance of 188 feet. The previous Arctic Winter Games record was set by Rodney Worl from Alaska in 1988. Shortly after coming up short of the Arctic Winter Games record in 2023, Stipdonk, retired, only to return to the sport the next year. However, in 2024 he was stopped by officials after just 57 feet because of form. This year, Kyle Worl, son of previous Arctic Winter Games record holder, speaking of Stipdonk’s feat said, “it was pristine form the entire time”. Kyle Worl, from Juneau, Alaska, also competes in the knuckle hop and took home the Silver Ulu in the event for the 2026 Arctic Winter Games. Inuuteq Josefsen of Team Kalaallit Nunaat took home the Bronze Ulu in the event. 

The gymnasium at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School was packed as spectators watched the record shatter. Speaking to CBC in 2023, Stipdonk expressed “I want to make sure the sport continues to grow and evolve” and that “breaking records and being excited about that makes other people excited”.

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By Madelaine Anderson