We’re getting contacted by reporters who want us to comment on this new “divorce trend” known as “alpine divorce.” From major news outlets, too.
Here’s the thing: It is not an actual “trend”, there is no such “thing” as an “alpine divorce.”
This is actually a story about how social media today influences news outlets, as everyone is vying for clicks and attention.
Rahul Iyer and I discussed this in the recent I Just Want This Done Divorce Podcast. We saw a story published online, in Outside Magazine, about an Alpine divorce. We thought it was some kind of funny divorce trend story. You see these terms all the time, which really is old wine in new bottles. And we thought it’d be funny to talk about it.
As we read the story, we realized it’s really not anything about divorce at all. It’s a TikTok trend that the press picked up on and then tried to create a story around it, slapping together a couple of different disconnected events about men leaving women on hikes or in the mountains and abandoning them.
It is a term used by commenters on a TikTok post that borrowed the term “Alpine Divorce” from an original short story from 1893, and the TikTok post and comments went viral.
In February 2026, a TikTok creator called @everafterRiya posted a video, which had over 19 million views. In the video, the poster was on a hike somewhere on a rugged trail with a caption “POV: You go on a hike with him in the mountains, but he leaves you alone by yourself, and you realize he never liked you to begin with.” Sympathetic comments to the video used the term “Alpine divorce” to describe being abandoned by a loved one in the wilderness.
The “Alpine Divorce” term came from a short story written by Robert Barr called “An Alpine Divorce,” published in 1893. In that story, a husband plots to murder his wife so he doesn’t have to actually divorce her by pushing her off a cliff in the Swiss Alps. His wife, learning of the plot, jumps off the mountain by herself, and he ends up killing himself out of grief.
Stories in the media picked up on the TikTok viral video and the trial, and manufactured it into some kind of “divorce trend.” Hint – there is no “trend.” The number of men taking their wives on hikes and abandoning them has not spiked. We’ve not had any calls from new clients about the need for an “alpine divorce.”
1. The Literary Origin (The 1890s)
The term was coined by the Scottish-Canadian writer Robert Barr in his short story “An Alpine Divorce,” first published in 1893.
- The Story: It follows a husband who plots to murder his wife by pushing her off a cliff in the Swiss Alps, only for the story to end with a grim twist of mutual destruction.
- The Online “First”: Because this is a classic work of fiction, its first appearance online dates back to the early digitization of literature (likely the late 1990s or early 2000s) on sites like Project Gutenberg or Wikisource.
2. The Modern Viral Trend (February 2026)
The term transitioned from an obscure literary reference to a modern slang term for relationship abandonment in February 2026.
- The Catalyst: On February 18, 2026, a TikTok creator named @everafteriya posted a video that received over 19 million views. The video showed her crying on a rugged hiking trail with the caption: “POV: you go on a hike with him in the mountains but he leaves you alone by yourself and you realize he never liked you to begin with.”
- The Spread: In the comments of that video, users began using the term “Alpine Divorce” to describe the phenomenon of a partner (usually more experienced) abandoning their significant other in remote, dangerous terrain.
- The Darker Connection: The term gained further gravity around the same time due to the real-life trial of Thomas Plamberger, an Austrian climber who was convicted of manslaughter in February 2026 for abandoning his girlfriend on the Grossglockner mountain, where she died of hypothermia.
Here’s the story on the explosion of press about this non-story:
The transition of “Alpine Divorce” from a niche TikTok video to a mainstream press story happened rapidly in late February and early March 2026. What started as a viral POV clip evolved into a serious cultural discussion about “outdoor abandonment,” fueled by a high-profile criminal trial in Austria.
Here are the key ways the press reported on this trend:
1. The Legal Angle: The Case of Thomas Plamberger
Many news outlets, including The Guardian and The New York Times, picked up the term in late February 2026 following the conviction of Thomas Plamberger.
- The Case: Plamberger was found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter after abandoning his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, near the summit of the Grossglockner mountain in January 2025. She froze to death after he left her to “seek help” without leaving her an emergency blanket or bivouac bag.
- The Press Link: Journalists used the “Alpine Divorce” trend to frame the trial, noting that an ex-girlfriend of Plamberger testified that he had also abandoned her on the same mountain in 2023 during an argument. This led headlines to label him the “real-life face” of the TikTok trend.
2. Psychological & Lifestyle Analysis
Mainstream outlets like Psychology Today and Outside Magazine published deep dives into why the term resonated so deeply.
- “Emotional Abandonment”: Psychology Today (March 2, 2026) analyzed the term as a literal manifestation of “ghosting.” They described it as a situation where a more experienced partner uses their physical or technical superiority to abandon a less experienced partner in a high-stress environment, effectively “ending” the relationship through negligence.
- Safety Warnings: Outside Magazine interviewed mountain guides who debated whether it is ever acceptable to leave a partner behind. They warned that the trend, while often discussed through dark humor on TikTok, reflects a dangerous reality where “gatekeeping” and “toxic outdoor culture” can lead to life-threatening situations.
3. Pop Culture & Slang Roundups
By early March, the term was being included in “buzzy term” segments on local news (such as WDIV-TV) alongside other 2026 dating slang like “throning” and “zip-coding.”
- The “EverAfterIya” Origin: Press stories consistently cited the February 18 TikTok by creator @everafteriya as the flashpoint. While she later clarified her specific situation was less dire (her partner just wanted to reach the summit faster), the media noted that her video opened a “floodgate” of thousands of women sharing similar stories of being left in forests, trails, and mountains.
4. Legal Expert Commentary
Legal platforms like JD Supra and various family law blogs began discussing “Alpine Divorce” in the context of domestic abuse statutes. Lawyers argued that “recklessly endangering” a partner by leaving them without supplies in a remote area could be grounds for criminal charges or be used as evidence of a “high-conflict” or toxic relationship in actual divorce proceedings.
Comparison of Press Perspectives
| Publication | Focus | Key Takeaway |
| The Guardian / BBC | Criminal Trial | Focused on the legal precedent of “duty of care” in the mountains. |
| Psychology Today | Behavioral | Viewed it as an extreme metaphor for modern indirect communication/breakups. |
| Outside Magazine | Outdoor Ethics | Highlighted the divide between experienced athletes and novices. |
| Law Blogs | Protection | Discussed whether abandonment counts as “abuse” under existing laws. |