The Alpine Divorce: A Disturbing Breakup Trend Is On The Rise
Ladies, beware: some men are taking breakups to new heights with the "alpine divorce," inviting partners on hikes only to abandon them mid-trail, sometimes miles from help with no service or way back.
Ladies, beware. Some men are taking breakups to new heights (literally) and unsettling extremes with a toxic trend now dubbed the “alpine divorce.” Instead of ending a relationship with honesty and respect (honestly, even a text would be better), some are inviting their partner on a hike, only to rush ahead or abruptly end things and disappear, sometimes leaving them stranded miles from help with no service or a clear way back.
In February, TikTok user @everafteriya went viral with over 4 million views after sharing her frightening experience. Filming herself in tears atop a rocky mountain, she revealed that her boyfriend had broken up with her mid hike.
“He left me by myself, I should have never come with him… I hate him so much, I feel so terrible. This is the worst Saturday of my life,” the TikTok user sobbed in her video.
So, where does this disturbing trend get its name? The phrase gained global attention in February 2026 after Austrian climber Thomas Plamberger was convicted of gross negligent manslaughter for leaving his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, on Austria’s tallest mountain in freezing conditions, where she later died of hypothermia. He received a five-month prison sentence, suspended for three years. The case ignited widespread debate about responsibility, abandonment, and the risks of treating outdoor excursions recklessly.
Women are sharing their Alpine Divorce experiences online, and it’s downright awful.
Since then, more women have come forward, on social media and in news reports, sharing their own, less extreme but still deeply painful, experiences of being blindsided by an “alpine divorce.”
In an interview with the Guardian on March 17, a woman named MJ recounted being abandoned during a hike in Zion National Park. She and her then-partner had traveled from Los Angeles for what was supposed to be an adventurous getaway. Already feeling that something was “off” that morning, MJ later discovered her partner had been seeing other women.
As they hiked Angel’s Landing, he grew impatient with her pace. “I could tell it was getting on his nerves that I was slow,” she said. “I was like, ‘Fu-k it, just go ahead of me.’” He did, without hesitation. After briefly reuniting at the summit for a photo, he descended the mountain with another woman he’d met along the way, leaving MJ to finish the hike alone. They broke up shortly after.
Other women have shared similar stories in different settings. In a Reddit support thread for Alpine Divorce survivors, one woman described being abandoned on a remote beach while traveling abroad.
“I managed to catch up with him as he was entering a cab and thank goddddd the taxi driver saw me and refused to leave me behind in that place, I escaped and broke up with him immediately. Hearing all these stories now I realised I should’ve gone to the police,” she wrote.
Shockingly, another woman claimed that her ex left her stranded in an entirely different state.
Interestingly, the term “alpine divorce” has literary roots. It echoes an 1893 short story by Robert Barr, in which a wealthy man attempts to rid himself of his wife by abandoning her in the Swiss Alps, only for the plan to backfire, ending in legal consequences. While fictional, the parallels to today’s conversations are striking.
Why would someone do this?
What would drive a man to commit such an insane act? In many cases, experts suggest these moments may not be fully premeditated. Instead, the environment itself can make a difficult breakup feel easier to carry out, experts say.
“Outdoor settings can feel less confrontational than sitting face-to-face,” Shannon Chavez Qureshi, PsyD, an AASECT-certified sex therapist and clinical psychologist, toldSELF in a March 18 interview. Breaking up with care requires eye contact, explanation, and the willingness to face someone’s pain, things many people avoid. In a vast outdoor setting, it becomes easier to keep moving, avoid direct confrontation, and literally walk away from the emotional weight of the moment.
How can you protect yourself?
So, how can you protect yourself? Wellness coach Naima shared practical advice on TikTok in a video shared March 10: always review trail maps in advance, let someone know your plans, and use navigation apps with offline features in case you lose service, she advised. Naima recommended an app called AllTrails, which enables users to download navigation tools before they head out on a hike.
She also urged viewers about the importance of physical preparedness. Working on building muscle and improving cardio can prepare women to physically withstand navigating rocky terrain if they ever encounter this scary situation, said the wellness influencer.
“Physical fitness is not for aesthetics; it is literally life or death,” Naima added.
And perhaps most importantly, trust your instincts. If hiking isn’t your thing or something feels off, don’t force yourself to go. Saying “no” can literally save your life.
