The ‘Alpine Divorce’

Some men, apparently, are not just breaking hearts, they’re doing it at high altitude. We’re talking mid-hike, halfway-up-a-mountain, no-cell-service kind of breakups. Romantic? Not exactly. It’s a trend unsettling enough to earn its own dramatic name: the “alpine divorce.”

Despite sounding like a cheeky travel term, an alpine divorce is anything but cute. The phrase actually traces back to a dark 19th-century tale about a man plotting to kill his wife in the Swiss Alps. Recently, the term resurfaced after a high-profile case involving a hiker accused of leaving his less-experienced girlfriend to freeze on Austria’s tallest mountain. Since then, stories have poured in online, thankfully less extreme, but still deeply unsettling.

Women have shared experiences of boyfriends suddenly storming ahead on trails, breaking up mid-hike, or even disappearing altogether, leaving them stranded miles from help, often without clear directions back. Imagine trying to process a breakup while also figuring out how not to get lost in the wilderness.

According to experts like Shannon Chavez, this behavior may not always be pre-planned. Instead, the setting itself plays a role. Nature can feel less confrontational than sitting face-to-face, making it easier for someone to avoid the emotional intensity of a proper breakup. No eye contact, no tough questions.

Moral of the story? this is why I don’t hike!
Lana Backman