Balin Miller, 23, died in a climbing accident Wednesday.
A popular Alaskan climber fell to his death from Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, marking the third death in the park this summer.
Balin Miller, 23, died in a climbing accident Wednesday, his mother Jeanine Girard-Moorman confirmed.
“He’s been climbing since he was a young boy,” she said. “His heart and soul was truly to just climb. He loved to climb and it was never about money and fame.”
The death comes on the first day of the federal government shutdown, which left national parks “generally” open, with limited operations and closed visitors centers, according to the National Park Service. The park service did not respond to an email requesting comment, and it’s unclear what staff remains at Yosemite during the shutdown.
El Capitan is one of the most striking features of Yosemite National Park, an enormous sheer granite rock face of approximately 3,000 feet that entices big-wall rock climbers from all over the world. Alex Honnold completed the first free solo climb of El Capitan in 2017 for the documentary “Free Solo.”
Many posted tributes to Miller on social media, saying they had watched him climb on a TikTok livestream for two days before his death and referring him to as “orange tent guy” because of his distinctive camp setup.
