A 23-year-old climbing influencer died while live-streaming himself scaling El Capitan, a famous vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park.
Balin Miller fell during his Wednesday climb, his mother Jeanine Girard-Moorman told the Associated Press.
‘He’s been climbing since he was a child,’ she shared. ‘His true passion was climbing. It was something he loved dearly, without concern for money or fame.’
On Facebook, Girard-Moorman expressed: ‘With a heavy heart, I must inform you that my incredible son, Balin Miller, lost his life in a climbing accident today. My heart is shattered into countless pieces. I don’t know how I will endure this. I love him immensely. I wish to awaken from this dreadful nightmare.’
Miller’s death comes as tributes pour in for him, while shocked fans also express their horror at watching him fall live on a TikTok stream.
Michelle Derrick shared what she saw on the horrifying last stream of the young social media creator.
‘He reached the summit, but as he attempted to retrieve his bags stuck on a rock during his ascent, he tragically fell, the entire incident caught on livestream,’ Derrick stated on Facebook.
Miller’s passing coincided with the commencement of the government shutdown, although national parks such as Yosemite remained ‘generally’ accessible, albeit with restricted operations, as noted by the National Park Service.
Pictured: Balin Miller, who passed during a climb on El Capitan on Wednesday, was previously seen scaling the route ‘Croc’s Nose’ at Crocodile Rock in Hyalite Canyon near Bozeman, Montana, on September 29, 2024.
The National Park Service commented that they are investigating the climbing incident and mentioned that ‘park rangers and emergency teams responded promptly.’
El Capitan, which Miller was climbing, is arguably the most prominent landmark in the over 1,000-square-mile Yosemite park.
The granite rock face towers approximately 3,000 feet in the air and was only conquered by a free solo climber for the first time in 2017.
Miller was referred to as ‘orange tent guy’ by his viewers thanks to his bright-colored tent setup during his two-day journey up El Capitan.
It’s not clear what went wrong during Miller’s climb, but his older brother, Dylan Miller, told the AP that he was lead rope soloing up a 2,400-foot route named Sea of Dreams.
This meant Miller had a rope to protect himself from any falls, though experts caution that this method is still inherently risky.
Dylan said his brother finished the climb and was likely hauling the rest of his gear when he rappelled to the end of his rope and fell.
‘He said he felt most alive when he was climbing,’ Dylan Miller said. ‘I’m his bigger brother but he was my mentor.’
Pictured: El Capitan, the peak in Yosemite National Park that Miller was climbing when he died
He spent much of his time as a child climbing with his brother and his father, who was also a climber.
Miller quickly became a well-known alpinist. He gained worldwide acclaim in June for managing to ascend Mount McKinley’s Slovak Direct, an incredibly difficult route that took him 56 hours to complete.
Miller also spent time climbing in Patagonia and the Canadian Rockies, where he made it to the top of an ice climb called Reality Bath, a feat that hasn’t been done in 37 years, according to Climbing Magazine. It took him seven days.
‘He’s had probably one of the most impressive last six months of climbing of anyone that I can think of,’ Clint Helander, an Alaska alpinist, told the Anchorage Daily News.
However, Miller’s trip to El Capitan was by all accounts a break from his rigorous climbing schedule.
His family said he got to Yosemite two weeks ago to enjoy the park. He was due to meet the rest of his family there for a vacation.
‘He has inspired so many people to do things that are perhaps unthinkable, including myself. I can’t imagine climbing ever again without him,’ his brother said.
