Rock Climbing Star, Twenty-Three, Dies After Falling from Yosemite's Iconic Granite Monolith

A young Alaskan social media climber has passed away after falling from El Capitan, a celebrated vertical rock formation in California's Yosemite National Park.

The 23-year-old climber, 23, was broadcast live on the social media platform ascending and subsequently plummeting from the monolith on Wednesday.

In an emotional social media post confirming her son's death, his parent expressed: "My heart is broken into countless fragments. I don't know how I will survive this. I adored him deeply. I wish I could awaken from this horrible dream."

Circumstances of the Tragedy

Specifics of what caused the tragedy are still uncertain, but Miller's brother Dylan revealed he was lead rope soloing - a technique that enables climbing alone while remaining secured by a safety line - on a 2,400ft route called Sea of Dreams.

He had finished the ascent and was hauling up gear when he probably rappelled off the end of his rope, according to his brother.

Tom Evans who witnessed the fall said he called 911 after Miller tried to free his backpack, which was stuck on a rock.

Background of the Young Climber

Originally from Alaska, the young alpinist was raised ascending peaks with his father and sibling.

He was an skilled mountaineer and earned international attention for achieving the initial solo climb of Denali's Slovak Direct route, which required 56 hours to finish, according to a post on his social media in the summer.

"He's had likely among the most remarkable recent half-year of climbing of anyone I can recall," veteran alpinist a climbing expert told a publication in July.

A second famous Alaskan climber an elite climber compared him to Alex Honnold, who was the first person to climb without ropes a full route on El Capitan.

Recent Achievements and Nickname

The climber had devoted several weeks climbing alone in Patagonia and the Canadian mountain range, successfully finishing a notoriously difficult frozen ascent named Reality Bath, which had been unrepeated for over three decades, as reported by a specialist magazine.

He was referred to fondly as the "Orange Tent Guy", due to his distinctive campsite at the bottom of El Capitan.

El Capitan and Yosemite Incident History

The massive formation, an enormous vertical granite wall of roughly 915 meters, is a major feature in the national park and attracts elite climbers from globally.

This tragedy represents the third fatality at the California national park in the current year. In June, an 18-year-old from the southern state lost his life in the area while ascending unroped on a separate rock.

And in late summer, a young adult trekker succumbed to injuries after being struck in the skull by a sizeable falling limb.

Official Response

The National Park Service stated in a release that they were investigating the incident and "officials and emergency personnel acted promptly."