“Alpine Divorce” is the disturbing phenomenon of men deliberately abandoning their female partners in the remote wilderness. Mary O'Leary explores how an innocent outing can turn into an alpine murder

By Mary O'Leary | Sep 10 2026

If you search up ‘Top 10 Date Ideas’ on Google, chances are hiking, or some sort of scenic lookout will be on the list. It’s cheap, it makes for an easy bonding activity in a beautiful environment, and you get to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of civilisation. So, what if I told you that many women who take to these hiking trails with their partners are not met with a romantic getaway but with life-threatening experiences.

‘Alpine Divorce’, as the internet has come to call it, is the phenomenon in which men, often premeditatively, take their female partners out on remote hiking trails before subsequently abandoning them in the wilderness.

But how is it so easy for so many women to be abandoned by their partners on hikes? And why has it become such a popular trend among male partners? In truth, it all comes down to accessibility and deniability.

Often, these male partners will intentionally choose hikes they know will be too difficult for the woman that they’re with. Many of these men might be hikers or athletes themselves but purposefully advertise the outing as a ‘light exercise’ so that their other halves, who are often not as athletic, are more inclined to go with them.

Once on the hike, many of the female partners ask to take a rest or turn back after inevitably reaching their limit due to not being properly informed and prepared. It is at this point when the ‘Alpine Divorce’ takes place, and the male partner berates the woman for slowing him down before finally abandoning her.

These women are often left behind, kilometres away from any sort of civilisation, with no cell service, no batteries, no map, and no way of getting home. What makes this trend so concerning is how easily the accounts from these women are brushed off if they do make it back and report it to the police. If questioned, the man can say that it was just a small quarrel and that he hadn’t thought it would be such a big deal. Like many forms of abandonment or psychological abuse, ‘Alpine Divorce’ is often not taken seriously due to its unconventional means. An unconventional means which also puts these women's health and life at risk.

January of last year, one such case occurred in Austria, when climber Thomas Plamberger left his then-girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner to freeze to death. This past February, Plamberger was found guilty of negligent manslaughter due to not just leaving Kerstin in subzero weather conditions but also for waving off a rescue helicopter which could have saved her life.

Kerstin Gurtner’s case is certainly one that brought ‘Alpine Divorce’ to light, but it is by no means the first or only instance in which this form of abuse has led to manslaughter and death. In fact, though ‘Alpine Divorce’ has recently become more well known, cases of it have been happening for decades.

For instance, in 2012, a similar case occurred in the Colorado Rocky Mountains National Park in the United States, wherein a man named Harold Henthorn pushed his wife Toni Henthorn off a cliff, leading to her death. Three years later, he was found guilty of murder in the first degree. What is particularly tragic about this case of ‘Alpine Divorce’ is that it took place on the couple’s 12th wedding anniversary. In fact, many of these instances take place on birthdays, anniversaries, and other ‘couple celebration days’.

With cases such as Toni’s and Kerstin’s, it is clear that for many of these men, ‘Alpine Divorce’ is not simply a way to unjustifiably punish their partners, but to end their lives in a manner which absolves them of blame. What's even more horrific about these circumstances is the fact that it is perpetuated by men whom these women perceive as trusted loved ones.

‘Alpine Divorce’ is also not exclusively for romantic partners, with many cases online showing close friends also participating in this form of abandonment. It is also not entirely exclusive to men leaving women or their partners behind, though this is the vast majority of the demographic. What connects every instance of ‘Alpine Divorce’ is that it is perpetrated by a trusted person, wherein they mislead their victim on the conditions of the environment they are going into and then leaving them in the middle of said environment.