Balin Miller
Balin Scott Miller 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, in Anchorage, Alaska, to David Miller and Jeanine Girard-Moorman. He grew up in Anchorage, 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.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. 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".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.
During his climbing career, Miller was a team ambassador for Millet and Black Diamond equipment. Miller was a self-proclaimed Mark Twight fan and believed that "anything Mark Twight does is awesome". 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".
Climbing achievements
Miller achieved recognition for his solo ascents in Patagonia, Canada, and Alaska. He completed the second ascent of the challenging Grade VII Reality Bath ice climb in the Canadian Rockies, alone, in January 2025. 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, which took him 56 hours to complete.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.
Death
Starting September 28, 2025, TikToker mountainscalling.me was livestreaming all of the climbers on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park including "orange tent guy" climbing Sea of Dreams, a difficult aid climbing route. 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. He fell from just below the top of the mountain, and died at age 23.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". Such accidents are often caused by failure to tie a stopper knot at the end of the rope.