The Disturbing Trend of 'Alpine Divorce': Men Abandoning Women on Hikes
A troubling new phenomenon dubbed 'alpine divorce' is gaining attention as women share stories of being abandoned by male partners during hiking trips and outdoor adventures. This pattern involves men leaving their dates or girlfriends behind on trails, often in vulnerable situations, with breakups frequently following these incidents.
Personal Experiences of Abandonment
MJ, a 38-year-old PR professional from Los Angeles, experienced what she calls 'small T trauma' during a trip to Zion National Park five years ago. While hiking Angel's Landing with a new partner, he grew impatient with her pace and eventually descended the mountain with another woman he met on the trail, leaving MJ to finish alone. 'I could tell it was getting on his nerves that I was slow,' she recalled. They broke up shortly after the trip.
On social media platforms like TikTok, women are sharing similar stories with the hashtag #alpinedivorce, with one viral video receiving over 4.2 million likes showing a woman sobbing as she navigates a rock formation alone. Comments sections fill with accounts of women being left in dangerous situations, including one who required 12 hours to exit the Grand Canyon after being abandoned.
Expert Analysis of the Phenomenon
Doriel Jacov, a New York-based therapist specializing in relationship patterns, notes that 'masculinity seems to play a role in how alpine divorce manifests in real life.' He explains that traditional masculine traits like strength, independence, and stoicism may contribute to this behavior. 'I can't see how leaving someone in a highly unsafe position wouldn't qualify as an abusive dynamic,' Jacov added.
Julie Ellison, former editor-in-chief of Climbing magazine, has heard numerous stories about men fumbling outdoor dates. 'There's that male ego element to it that's not necessarily evil or ill-intentioned, but it usually has a negative effect on the partner who's being left behind,' she observed.
Dangerous Consequences and Legal Cases
The consequences can be severe. Last month, an Austrian mountaineer was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter for leaving his exhausted girlfriend behind on the country's highest peak while he went for help. His girlfriend died, and he couldn't explain why he failed to wrap her in an emergency blanket before descending alone. A former girlfriend testified that he had previously abandoned her on a trail in 2023.
Naomi, a 46-year-old educator and member of the Wine Hiking Society, experienced abandonment on Deseret Peak when hiking with two friends. Suffering from altitude sickness, she was left behind as the male hiker pursued his goal of reaching the summit. 'I felt like I had to crawl on my hands and knees, and finally I made it to the top,' she remembered.
Cultural Factors and Outdoor Expectations
Outdoor culture often romanticizes pushing limits and endurance, with folk heroes like Timothy Treadwell and Christopher McCandless celebrated for their rugged independence. This emphasis on masculine ideals may contribute to the alpine divorce phenomenon.
David Webb, editor-in-chief of Canada's Explore magazine, emphasizes that 'if you invite someone on a hike, you're basically acting as their de facto guide.' He notes that proper guides always move at the pace of the slowest member.
Daniel Duane, a 59-year-old writer and marriage therapist in San Francisco, acknowledges that personal ambitions can sometimes override consideration for partners. 'It's just so awesome to share an outdoor adventure with good company, and yet, we often have these personal hungers and ambitions when we go into the mountains,' he said. 'Sometimes that more selfish part of ourselves takes over.'
Questioning Gender Stereotypes
Some women in the outdoor industry challenge the gender assumptions embedded in the alpine divorce narrative. 'Believe it or not, we can do things that have nothing to do with men,' said Julie Ellison. 'I really struggle with saying 'men do this,' and 'women do that,' and those generalizations.'
Blair Braverman, an adventurer and dogsled musher who has competed in the Iditarod, offers a different perspective: 'Personally, if I were with a man and he wandered away from me on a mountain, I'd be more worried for him than me. I think it's interesting that [the term] assumes that the woman is the one with less capability.'
Recovery and Female Solidarity
Many women find support from other female hikers after being abandoned. When MJ was left in Zion, she hiked down with a friendly female stranger and her young son. Naomi helped a woman with vertigo in Arches National Park whose date had left her. 'It happened to me many years ago,' one TikTok user commented. 'I met 2 girls on the mountain and told them what happened, and we walked down together. They wouldn't let me go alone.'
MJ didn't hike for a year after her experience, questioning her fitness and ability. It took two solo trips to Montana's wilderness for her to rediscover her love of hiking. She's now in a committed relationship with someone who isn't particularly outdoorsy, and she's content with having a personal relationship with nature unencumbered by a male partner.
The term 'alpine divorce' actually originates from an 1893 short story by Scottish Canadian writer Robert Barr about a married couple in the Alps, though most modern incidents don't involve the murderous intentions of that fictional tale. Instead, they often stem from poor communication, mismatched expectations, and problematic expressions of masculinity in outdoor settings.
