What is Alpine Divorce? The chilling 1893 short story playing out in 2026
A 130-year-old fictional story, An Alpine Divorce, has become a true-crime story on hiking trails
The term Alpine Divorce became mainstream after an Austrian court convicted a man for manslaughter. (Generated using AI) Back in 1893, when only death, cruelty or criminality could part an unhappily married couple, Scottish-Canadian novelist Robert Barr wrote a short story, An Alpine Divorce, in which a husband plans to push his wife off a Swiss precipice. Around 130 years later, the term has been claimed by a tribe of women who have been abandoned by their male partners on mountainous trails and other life-threatening situations to force a separation.
The phenomenon, which was common enough to be used as a slang among hiking guides, became mainstream starting with TikTok in February 2026, after an Austrian court convicted a man for manslaughter after he abandoned his girlfriend on the Grossglockner, the highest mountain in the Alps. An ex-girlfriend later testified that the accused had also abandoned her on the trail.
Soon after, many women chimed in on social media, narrating their own versions of ‘An Alpine Divorce’, in which a man got their partner into a situation they knew they will not be able to handle on their own, and then abandoned them. Most of the women who spoke up said they broke up with their partners soon after the harrowing experience.
A feminist twist in the tale
Robert Barr’s story, An Alpine Divorce, depicted as a comic. (Generated using AI)
Despite what the premise suggests Alpine Divorce as Barr wrote it is not the story of a swooning damsel in distress. The story is arguably a feminist one, way ahead of its times.
“In some natures there are no half-tones; nothing but raw primary colours ….This probably would have mattered little had he not married a wife whose nature was an exact duplicate of his own,” thus begins the story, placing the couple as equals from the get-go.
Opposites attract and like poles repel, and so the acrimonious couple could not stand each other. When things come to a head, Mr Bodeman concocts a plan to dispatch his wife once and for all by pushing her down an Alpine precipice during a walk, only to be one upped by his wife, who plummets to her death by her own volition, after framing him for murder.
Alpine divorce in the 21st century
A modern depiction of an Alpine divorce, which is a surprisingly common phenomenon. (Generated using AI)
The story remains relevant even in this day and age. One Instagram user, McKenna, posted saying she realised what she had experienced was in fact An Alpine Divorce when she was travelling through California’s Redwood National Park with her partner. The man she was with insisted they drive separate cars, forced her to take a manual transmission, which she was uncomfortable with, and then vanished. He ignored her calls for hours while she drove lost among the towering redwoods. When she finally reached him, she realised he had in the meantime made no effort to find her. After that, he ghosted her entirely. “I thought this was a unique experience,” she said.
Another account came from Volodymyr Krivjansky, hiking with their partner in Scotland. Unwell and possibly pregnant, Krivjansky was moving slowly. Their partner grew angry, then suddenly turned and ran in the opposite direction, telling friends to leave Krivjansky behind. Crucially, Krivjansky’s sleeping bag was in the partner’s pack. A friend of her partner chased him down, and retrieved it.
Why initiate an Alpine Divorce?
In the Bodemans’ case, the couple was ineligible for a divorce under the laws of the times. But, why are men in the 21st century where one can opt for a no-fault divorce or even simply break up with their partners, planning Alpine divorces rather than ending the relationship?
Chetna Luthra, Clinical Psychologist at Marengo Asia Hospital, Gurugram, lists a few impulses to propel men to abandon their partners in dangerous situations, namely retaliation after feeling insulted, reinforcing power over the partner, avoiding emotional confrontation and emotional dysregulation (difficulty managing anger, shame, rejection, or frustration).
“When conflict, frustration or disappointment builds up, some people have a fight or flight response,” says Jasmine Arora, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Artemis Hospitals. “Instead of communicating, they choose to escape both physically and emotionally. In remote environments this instinct can be amplified as stress, fear and ego can trump empathy.”
One of the key questions jurists ponder over in these cases is where to draw the line between a panicked poor decision and a calculated act of control or punishment. “A panic‑driven act is more associated with acute emotional flooding, narrowed thinking, impulsivity, and later guilt. A controlling act is more associated with awareness of the partner’s vulnerability,” says Luthra.
One question that lingers is whether Mr Bodman is innocent because his wife pulled the trigger before he could? Psychologists say the character has no remorse. He is shocked, just as a predator who unexpectedly finds himself the prey might be. “A truly panicked decision is impulsive and often there is instant regret, worry and attempts to correct the situation,” Arora says.
Why it is always men
In Barr’s story, both spouses are equally murderous, but most Alpine Divorces feature a male partner abandoning a female partner. “Traditional masculinity often discourages emotional vulnerability,” Luthra says. “Conflict can become tied to ego and identity, criticism, rejection, or feeling ‘disrespected’ may be experienced as a threat to self‑worth or masculinity.”
“Men generally show higher risk‑taking tendencies and may underestimate danger. This can lead to minimising how unsafe the situation is for the partner,” says Luthra, while cautioning against biological determinism. “Psychology does not see this as biologically ‘male nature’. The imbalance is usually explained through gender socialisation, cultural expectations, learned coping styles, personality traits, and relationship power dynamics.”
Ten years after #MeToo allowed women to name and shame powerful men, who harassed women in the workplace, the Alpine Divorce trend has allowed women to bond over a traumatic incident, and warn other women to be on their guard, lest they find themselves stumbling on treacherous trails looking for a partner who has run off in the wilderness.
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