Balin Miller
American mountain climber (2002–2025)

Balin Miller
Born
Balin Scott Miller

(2002-01-12)January 12, 2002
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
DiedOctober 1, 2025(2025-10-01) (aged 23)
Yosemite National Park, California, U.S.
Known forFirst solo ascent of the Slovak Direct route on Denali

Balin Scott Miller (/ˈbeɪlɪn/ BAY-lin; January 12, 2002 – October 1, 2025) was an American climber known for solo ascents in Patagonia, Canada, and Alaska. He was the first person to solo climb the Slovak Direct route on Denali in Alaska, among other achievements. He died in an accident while descending El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California.

Early life

Balin Scott Miller was born on January 12, 2002,[1][2] in Anchorage, Alaska,[3] to David Miller and Jeanine Girard-Moorman.[4] He grew up in Anchorage,[5] and at the age of three, began rock climbing with his father and brother, Dylan, along the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. By the age of 12, he was seriously involved in climbing. Later, he began ice climbing, both along the Seward Highway and near the small coastal city of Valdez, Alaska.[5]

Career

Miller's primary activity was climbing, but he also worked seasonally as a crab fisherman in Nome, Alaska, and at a mine in Southeast Alaska. His parents helped support him.[5] Miller said he climbed for "freedom", not fame. He lived out of his car, worked odd jobs, and scraped together what his family called his "shoestring salary" just to keep "chasing the next wall".[6]

In 2023, he was awarded a Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant from the American Alpine Club that helped defray costs for climbing Mount Andromeda in Alberta, Canada.[7][8]

During his climbing career, Miller was a team ambassador for Millet[1] and Black Diamond equipment.[citation needed] Miller was a self-proclaimed Mark Twight fan and believed that "anything Mark Twight does is awesome".[7] Known for applying face glitter before a difficult climb, Miller was quoted saying "…it's like a warrior putting makeup on before going into battle".[9]

Climbing achievements

Miller achieved recognition for his solo ascents in Patagonia, Canada, and Alaska.[9] He completed the second ascent of the challenging Grade VII Reality Bath ice climb in the Canadian Rockies, alone, in January 2025.[10] In May and June 2025 he made the first solo choker ascent of the North Buttress of Mount Hunter via the "French Connection". He was the first person to solo the Slovak Direct route on Denali,[11][12][13] which took him 56 hours to complete.[14]

Veteran Anchorage climber Clint Helander said Miller was "the new king of the Alaska Range". Mark Westman, another experienced Alaskan alpinist, compared him to famed rock climber Alex Honnold.[5][14]

Notable ascents

Month and year Route Mountain Location Style Time Height Difficulty Notes
December 2021 Keystone Greensteps Keystone Canyon Valdez, Alaska Solo, Ice 56m 650 ft (197 m), 4 pitches WI5
January 2022 Bridalveil Falls Telluride, Colorado Free solo, Trad, Ice 400 ft (121 m), 3 pitches WI5+
May 2022 Harvard Route Mount Hunter Alaska Range Lead Trad 4000 ft (1212 m), 30 pitches, Grace VI WI3 M6 C1 Steep Snow w. Ethan Berkeland
December 2022 Whiteman Falls Canadian Rockies Alberta, Canada Free solo, Ice 300 ft (91 m), 2 pitches WI5-6
November 2023 Kitty Hawk David Thmpson Highway Icefields Parkway, Canadian Rockies Solo, Ice 25m 500 ft (152 m), 4 pitches, Grade III WI5
November 2023 Nemesis Stanley Headwall Radium Highway, Canadian Rockies Free solo, Ice 1h 525 ft (159 m), 4 pitches, Grade V WI6
November 2023 Slipstream Mount Snowdome Icefields Parkway, Canadian Rockies Solo, Ice 4h 3000 ft (909) WI4+
December 2023 Unknown White Powder Weeping Wall aka PFM Seward Highway, Alaska Lead Trad 100 ft (30 m) WI6+ M6
February 2024 Come and Get It Hyalite Canyon Montana Free solo Under 10m 135 ft (41 mi), Grade II 5.11 WI6 M7 "5th free solo ascent, no helmet, just glitter and a headband"[15]
March 2024 Sandstone Samurai Black Velvet Canyon Red Rocks, Nevada Lead Trad 700 ft (212 mi), 5 pitches 5.11a
November 2024 South Seas El Capitan Yosemite, California Solo, Trad 6d 2500 ft (758 m), 23 pitches, Grade VI T5.9 A3+
December 2024 Exocet Aguja Stanhardt, Cerro Torre Patagonia 500m WI5+ M5
December 2024 Ragni Cerro Torre Patagonia 600m AI5+ M4 w. Ethan Berkeland and Chris Labosky[9]
December 2024 Californiana Cerro Chaltén/Fitz Roy Patagonia Solo, Mixed 400m 5.10c
January 2025 Virtual Reality Mount Murchison Icefields Parkway, Canadian Rockies Solo, Trad, Ice 530 ft (161 m), 4 pitches, Grace IV WI6
January 2025 Reality Bath Canadian Rockies Solo 3h[9] 600 m, 8 pitches WI5+/6-, Grade VII Ice Second known ascent, 37 years after the first ascent in 1988. Downgraded from WI7 to WI5+/6-.[16]
May 2025 Moonflower Buttress Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska 6000 (1818 m), Grade VI WI6 M7 A2 Steep Snow
May 2025 Bacon and Eggs on Mini-Mini-Moonflower Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska Solo, Trad, Ice 1500 ft (455 m), 9 pitches, Grade IV W14
May 2025 Deprivation Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska Mixed, Ice 6400 ft (1939 m) AI6 M6 w. Vincent Landry
May 2025 French Connection North Buttress of Begguya, Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska Free solo 17h 30m[11] 6,500 ft AI6, M6
June 2025 Slovak Direct Denali Denali, Alaska Free solo 56h[11] 9,000 ft (2,700 m) M6 WI6 A2
September 2025 Sea of Dreams El Capitan Yosemite, California Solo, Trad 4d 2400 ft (727 m), 26 pitches, Grade VI T5.9 A4 Final ascent

Death

Starting September 28, 2025, TikToker mountainscalling.me was livestreaming all of the climbers on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park[17] including "orange tent guy" (who was later identified as Miller)[18] climbing Sea of Dreams, a difficult 730-metre (2,400 ft) aid climbing route.[4] On October 1, 2025, Miller successfully completed the final pitch when his haul bag got stuck on the rock face below. When he descended back down his lead line to free his bag, Miller rappelled off the end of his rope.[19] He fell 2,400 ft (730 m) from just below the top of the mountain, and died at age 23.[4]

It was not clear what led to his fall, but his brother Dylan said that he was "lead-rope-soloing", which enables a climber to climb alone while still having the protection of a rope. He had already finished his climb, and was trying to haul up equipment when "he likely rappelled off the end of his rope".[14] Such accidents are often caused by failure to tie a stopper knot at the end of the rope.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b "Balin Miller". millet.com. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "Balin Miller Obituary – Visitation & Funeral Information". Cherished Family Funeral Home. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  3. ^ Ward, James. "Social media climbing star Balin Miller dies in fall in Yosemite's El Capitan". The Desert Sun. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Graham, Bryan Armen (October 2, 2025). "Emerging climbing star Balin Miller, 23, dies in fall from El Capitan". The Guardian. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Hahn, Lizzy (July 6, 2025). "In the next generation of climbers, Anchorage's Balin Miller is ascending to the top of the mountain". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  6. ^ Morales, Samantha. "In Loving Memory of Balin Miller — The Orange Tent Guy ⛺️". GoFundMe. Archived from the original on October 11, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ a b McGivney, Sierra (October 2, 2025). "Mountain Sense". Guidebook XII—Grant Spotlight. American Alpine Club. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  8. ^ Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant, American Alpine Club. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Walsh, Anthony (January 23, 2025). "Inside Balin Miller's One-Week Soloing Spree in Patagonia and the Canadian Rockies". Climbing. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  10. ^ Grace, Emma (February 3, 2025). "Famous Canadian Ice Climb Soloed for the First Time Since 1988". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Walsh, Anthony (June 17, 2025). "Interview: Balin Miller's Bold Solo of 9,000-foot 'Slovak Direct,' Denali". Climbing. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  12. ^ Gurgul, Michał (June 17, 2025). "Pierwsze solowe przejście "Slovak Direct" na Denali". wspinanie.pl (in Polish). Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Walsh, Martin (June 20, 2025). "Denali: Slovak Direct Soloed, Season in Full Swing » Explorersweb". Explorersweb. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c Comerford, Ruth (October 3, 2025). "Alaskan climbing star Balin Miller dies after falling from Yosemite's El Capitan". BBC Home. Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Miller, Balin. "Come and Get It". Mountain Project.
  16. ^ "The Reality Bath in the Rockies Repeated Solo". Gripped. Gripped The Climbing Magazine. January 11, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  17. ^ Yoon, John (October 3, 2025). "Climber Dies in Fall After Scaling Yosemite's El Capitan". New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  18. ^ Vaziri, Aidin. "Witness describes horror of streaming climber Balin Miller's fatal fall in Yosemite". San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. ^ Silver, Maya (October 2, 2025). "Bold Young Alpinist Balin Miller Dies in Yosemite". Climbing.
  20. ^ Enrico, Jose (October 3, 2025). "El Capitan Tragedy: Rising Mountaineer Balin Miller Dies in Climbing Accident". Sports World News. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
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