One of climbing’s most iconic walls witnessed a tragic accident this week, after a young climber died in an accident on El Capitan in Yosemite this week.
Balin Miller, 23, a promising athlete in the climbing world who just this summer claimed the first solo ascent of Denali’s Slovak Direct, died Wednesday, his father, David Miller, confirmed in an Instagram post.
Balin Miller Dies on El Cap
According to a Facebook post from local photographer, Tom Evans, Miller was finishing his solo aid climb of Sea of Dreams, a route up the southeast face of El Capitan, when the accident occurred.
“[He] was hauling his bag up the last pitch when it became stuck. So he went down his lead line to clear it,” Evans posted. “His rope didn’t reach the bag’s location by many feet, but he seemed unaware of that fact. On the way down, he rappelled off the end of the rope.”
There has been no official post from Yosemite authorities, although the official National Park Service page notes some services may be unavailable during the government shutdown, which began on October 1. GearJunkie reached out for comment from Yosemite officials, but received an automated message about operations suspended due to the shutdown.
Rappelling accidents can be common in climbing; according to the American Alpine Club, there were eight fatal rappelling incidents in 2023. Famed professional climber Brad Gobright died in 2019 after similarly rappelling off the end of his rope at Mexico’s El Potero Chico.
Although he was only in his early 20s, Miller was already on his way to making a name for himself in the climbing world. In addition to Miller’s solo ascent of the 9,000-foot Slovak Direct route, he also accomplished impressive ascents in the Canadian Rockies and Mt. Hunter in Alaska.
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