Alaskan climber and TikTok influencer Balin Miller has died aged 23 after falling from El Capitan, the granite monolith in California’s Yosemite National Park, during a livestreamed ascent on Wednesday.
Miller’s mother, Jeanine Girard-Moorman, confirmed his death in a social media post, writing: “My heart is shattered in a million pieces. I don’t know how I will get through this. I love him so much. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare.”
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the fall. According to his brother Dylan, Miller had been lead rope soloing on a 2,400-foot route known as Sea of Dreams and may have rappelled off the end of his rope while retrieving equipment.
Photographer Tom Evans, who witnessed the incident, said Miller had been trying to free a stuck bag before emergency services were called.
Born in Anchorage, Miller began climbing with his father and brother before earning recognition in the global climbing community.
Earlier this year, he completed the first solo ascent of Mount McKinley’s Slovak Direct in 56 hours, a major achievement praised by veteran alpinists.
Climber Clint Helander told the Anchorage Daily News that Miller had one of the most remarkable recent climbing records, while Mark Westman compared him to Alex Honnold for his technical skill and dedication.
His death marks the third fatal incident in Yosemite this year, following two previous climbing-related deaths in June and August.
Miller was affectionately known to fellow climbers as the “Orange Tent Guy” for his distinctive basecamp setup at El Capitan.
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