Balin Miller

Balin Scott Miller ( ; January 12, 2002 – October 1, 2025) was an American climber known for solo ascents in Patagonia, Canada, and Alaska. He was the first person to solo climb the Slovak Direct route on Denali in Alaska, among other achievements. He died in an accident while descending El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California.

Early life Balin Scott Miller was born on January 12, 2002, in Anchorage, Alaska, to David Miller and Jeanine Girard-Moorman. He grew up in Anchorage,

Career Miller's primary activity was climbing, but he also worked seasonally as a crab fisherman in Nome, Alaska, and at a mine in Southeast Alaska. His parents helped support him.

In 2023, he was awarded a Mountaineering Fellowship Fund Grant from the American Alpine Club that helped defray costs for climbing Mount Andromeda in Alberta, Canada.

During his climbing career, Miller was a team ambassador for Millet He completed the second ascent of the challenging Grade VII Reality Bath ice climb in the Canadian Rockies, alone, in January 2025. In May and June 2025 he made the first solo choker ascent of the North Buttress of Mount Hunter via the "French Connection". He was the first person to solo the Slovak Direct route on Denali, which took him 56 hours to complete. May 2022 Moonflower Buttress Mount Hunter Alaska Range Lead Trad 6000 ft (1818 m), Grade VI WI6 M7 Steep Snow w. Ethan Berkeland March 2024 Sandstone Samurai Black Velvet Canyon Red Rocks, Nevada Lead Trad 700 ft (212 mi), 5 pitches 5.11a November 2024 South Seas El Capitan Yosemite, California Solo, Trad 6d 2500 ft (758 m), 23 pitches, Grade VI T5.9 A3+ December 2024 Exocet Aguja Stanhardt, Cerro Torre Patagonia 500m WI5+ M5 December 2024 Ragni Cerro Torre Patagonia 600m AI5+ M4 w. Ethan Berkeland and Chris Labosky May 2025 Moonflower Buttress Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska 6000 (1818 m), Grade VI WI6 M7 A2 Steep Snow May 2025 Bacon and Eggs on Mini-Mini-Moonflower Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska Solo, Trad, Ice 1500 ft (455 m), 9 pitches, Grade IV W14 May 2025 Deprivation Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska Mixed, Ice 6400 ft (1939 m) AI6 M6 w. Vincent Landry May 2025 French Connection North Buttress of Begguya, Mount Hunter Denali, Alaska Free solo 17h 30m including "orange tent guy" (who was later identified as Miller) climbing Sea of Dreams, a difficult aid climbing route. He fell from just below the top of the mountain, and died at age 23. Such accidents are often caused by failure to tie a stopper knot at the end of the rope.