Alpine divorce: When a lovers' stroll goes off a cliff
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Adventurers in Utah and beyond are finding validation — and some traumatic flashbacks — with the ascent of a term for being abandoned on a date in the great outdoors: "Alpine divorce."
Why it matters: In a state where outdoor rec attracts a lot of young singles, mismatched adventuring skill is a relationship hurdle as normal as disapproving parents.
The big picture: The phrase proliferated on social media after the manslaughter conviction last month of a mountaineer whose girlfriend died on Austria's highest peak when he left her behind during a difficult climb in 2025. Another ex-girlfriend said the man did the same thing to her.
- Then a video of a woman sobbing after a man ditched her in the Nevada desert went viral. A flood of commenters recalled dates who abandoned them on the trail.
The intrigue: Multiple accounts of similar situations come from Utah, the Guardian reported last week.
Case in point: One woman said her date was irritated by her slow pace while hiking to Zion's Angels Landing. After a photo at the top, he joined another woman he'd met on the trail and left his date to hike back alone.
Another woman said she was disoriented and dizzy on Deseret Peak when her male friend zipped ahead to achieve his goal of climbing the highest peak of each Utah county.
- She also recalled finding a woman lying on the ground at Arches National Park after her date had left her to retrieve his camera, which she'd dropped at Delicate Arch in a bout of "severe vertigo."
Threat level: Beyond betrayal, hikers have described being left while sick or injured; unable to speak the local language; and without routefinding information, adequate water or gear.
Zoom out: The hills have long been alive with the sound of couples' disputes.
- Sometimes women abandon men, and not all LGBTQ+ couples find their stride. But tales of Alpine divorce overwhelmingly feature struggling women ditched by exasperated men.
My thought bubble: As a feminist, I'm prone to assume the worst of men who do this. But as an amateur outdoorswoman who's usually outmatched by her husband, I can see the grey area from which some of these choices could emerge.
- I've told my hubs to go ahead a couple of times when I was holding him back. He almost always refuses. But he also knows when I can hold my own, and that I often hike and ski solo.
Meanwhile, panic happens in bad situations. Telling your date to lie down and nurse her vertigo could seem like the least bad option if you plan to return after retrieving your camera at Arches.
- Yes, but: Treating a partner with cruelty is a big red flag when it's thoroughly possible to just be kind.