Influencer climber dies while livestreaming from Yosemite
Balin Miller was 23 years old and fell while rope climbing on the North American mountain of El Capitan.
BarcelonaThe climber and influencer American Balin Miller died while climbing El Capitan, the iconic rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California, his family confirmed. Miller, 23, was streaming on TikTok when he fell. "My heart is broken. I don't know how I'll ever get over this. I love him so much. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare," said his mother, Jeanine Moorman, in an emotional message.
Miller lived in Alaska and was a very popular figure in the climbing community. In 2025, he had completed several solo ascents, including the Slovak Direct route on Denali, Alaska, the highest peak in North America, which has over 2,700 meters of climbing. The next challenge was El Capitan, which the young man wanted to share with his followers on social media.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, and several Reddit users claimed to have seen Miller fall during a TikTok live stream. His family confirmed this on Sunday.
Tom Evans, a Yosemite-based photographer who captured the climber on camera, explained on his Facebook account that Miller had finished his ascent of Sea of Dreams and was hauling his backpack up the final stretch when it got stuck, so he backtracked to retrieve it. That's when his rope failed him and he fell.
"He was a young man highly regarded among the top climbers here. I photographed him over many days during the climb and spoke with him beforehand. Many climbers on the wall witnessed the tragedy. These things happen from time to time, but the pain never happens," Evans wrote.