The hashtag 'alpine divorce' has exploded on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram in recent months, with many women sharing traumatic, sometimes life-threatening experiences, writes CNN.
The term is used to describe an event during a hike or other outdoor adventure, when one partner, usually a male, abandons the other, who is usually less experienced and more vulnerable, in a remote and potentially dangerous environment.
The discussion has been fueled in part by a case in Austria earlier this year, where a climber was found guilty of manslaughter and given a suspended sentence after he left his girlfriend alone on the Grossglockner mountain, the country's highest, claiming to have gone to seek help. She died of exposure.
Prosecutors accused the man, identified as Thomas P., of failing to respond to calls from rescue services despite having a cell phone signal and of failing to send out timely distress signals. During his trial, an ex-girlfriend testified that he had also abandoned her on the same mountain in 2023 because she considered him too slow, the German newspaper Bild reported. He tended to get “nervous” if she struggled during a hike, she told the court during her testimony.
During the trial, women were sharing their personal stories online. “POV: you go hiking with him in the mountains, but he leaves you alone and you realize he never really liked you,” wrote one woman in a TikTok video showing her alone on a secluded mountain trail that has racked up nearly 5 million views.
In a post on X, another woman shared a video of herself walking alone in the wilderness, writing: "This is a video of me walking in the Scottish Highlands trying to make the most of my trip while the guy I was in a vague relationship with was miles ahead of me." The clip has 1.9 million views.
Coined in an 1893 short story by Scottish-Canadian writer Robert Barr about a man who plots to kill his wife in the Swiss Alps, 'alpine divorce' is not a legally or officially recognized term. However, behavioral psychologist and relationship coach Jo Hemmings told CNN that the relationship dynamics behind it are identifiable.
According to Hemmings, perpetrators are usually people with an avoidant attachment style, who emotionally and physically distance themselves from others when under stress rather than confronting the cause.
“They are likely to lack empathy and compassion and avoid conflict – preferring to walk away,” she said. “I see this type of behavior often in my counseling sessions – a partner, most often a man with a female partner, withdrawing when confronted with questions, or may even leave the room or drop out of counseling altogether.”
While 'alpine divorce' may not be a common experience, Hemmings believes the basic concept will be familiar to many women. "Not because of the mountainous environment, but because emotional withdrawal or even abandonment within a relationship is relatively common."
However, a mountainous environment adds another dimension to this behavior pattern, making it potentially dangerous. Such outdoor activities create an immediate hierarchy; who leads, who orients, and who sets the pace.
"Moving forward and refusing to conform can be a covert way of asserting authority or control," Hemmings said.
t7 live
