Balin Miller: Popular mountain climber falls to death during live stream of ascent in Yosemite National Park

A rising star in the world of rock climbing has fallen to his death in tragic circumstances at one of the sports most challenging peaks.

Canadian extreme sports specialist, Balin Miller, had reached the peak of the world’s largest granite monolith in California’s Yosemite National Park when a gear mishap brought him unstuck.

Mr Miller has reportedly completed the ascension of the Sea of Dreams, on the infamous El Capitan route, when he fell hundreds of metres to his death.

Sadly, the whole event was being live-streamed, and although law officials are yet to confirm the any findings surrounding the incident, witnesses watching on offered opinions on what they observed.

In a post on Facebook, photographer Tom Evans claimed Miller had actually finished the ascent before attempting to haul his bag of gear up when it got stuck.

“He went down his lead line to clear it. His rope didn’t reach the bag’s location by many feet, but he seemed unaware of the fact,” Mr Evans wrote.

“On the way down, he rappelled off the end of the rope.”

News.com.au reports that the awful moments as Mr Miller fell were captured on a TikTok livestream by a Yosemite enthusiast named Eric, who was watching the climb through a telescope.

Around 500 people were watching the stream when the incident occurred but over 100,000 people had been watching Miller’s exploits in Yosemite at various times that week.

“It is with a heavy heart I have to tell you my incredible son, Balin Miller, died during a climbing accident today,” said Mr Miller’s mother via Instagram.

“My heart is shattered (into) 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.”

His brother, Dylan Miller, spoke about his brother and his love for the sport that eventually claimed his life.

“He felt most alive when he was climbing,” Dyan said.

“I’m his bigger brother but he was my mentor.”

Balin Miller made history when he ascended solo to Slovak Direct, an incredibly challenging climb 2700 metres up McKinley in Alaska.

He completed the gruelling challenge in 56 hours and rose to stardom in the climbing ranks after also completing a solo climb up the French Connection on Mount Hunter.

“He’s had probably one of the most impressive last six months of climbing of anyone that I can think of,” Alaskan alpinist Clint Helander told the Anchorage Daily News.

“He his inspired so many people to do things that are perhaps unthinkable, including myself. I can’t imagine climbing ever again without him,” his bother Dylan added.

Miller’s death happened on the first day of the US government shutdown, with federal authorities opening the parks but with limited operations.

The National Park Service said “rangers and emergency personnel responded immediately” following the incident.

An 18-year-old was killed while solo climbing without a rope at a different formation at Yosemote this year, while in August, a woman died when a tree branch struck her on a hike.