An Alaskan climbing influencer has died after falling from El Capitan, a famous vertical rock formation in California’s Yosemite National Park.
Balin Miller, 23, was live-streamed on TikTok ascending and subsequently falling from the monolith on Wednesday.
In an emotional social media post confirming her son’s death, his mother Jeanine Girard-Moorman said: “My heart is shattered in a million pieces. I don’t know how I will get through this. I love him so much. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare.”
Details of what caused the incident are not clear, but Miller’s brother Dylan told AFP he was lead rope soloing - a technique that enables climbing alone while still protected by a rope - on a 2,400ft (730m) route named Sea of Dreams.
People don’t choose their hobbies based solely on risk. I love riding road bikes. There is a (small!) risk of death or serious injury in that sport too. But I love doing it and it’s one of the most fun things on earth for me. If I died and it was possible to ask me afterwards if I’d still do it, I might say no. But you don’t get to make these decisions retrospectively and so it’s worth the risk to me.