The modern interpretation of the term refers to a situation where one partner abandons the other in a difficult environment to avoid a tough conversation, such as about breaking up, or to demonstrate their superiority.
The term “alpine divorce” is rapidly gaining popularity on social media — but its roots go much deeper than TikTok trends. Behind the elegant name lies a dark euphemism: a situation where one partner abandons the other in the mountains — or deliberately harms them on a dangerous trail. In February 2026, a viral video of a woman who was left alone on a mountain trail garnered millions of views and made the internet recall a story more than 130 years old.
What Is an Alpine Divorce and Where Did the Term Come From
An “alpine divorce” is a situation where one person in a couple (more often the man) abandons the other during a joint mountain hike (where anything can happen…) or in other life-threatening conditions. Sometimes after an argument, sometimes simply because the partner fell behind. And in its darkest interpretation, the term implies intentional murder — for example, pushing a partner off a cliff. And here, what’s frightening is not just the event itself, but the absence of basic reliability in a relationship.
The expression was not born on the internet. Its origins lie in a short story by Scottish-Canadian writer Robert Barr called “An Alpine Divorce,” published in 1893. The story “An Alpine Divorce” was included in Barr’s collection “Revenge!”, devoted to themes of vengeance, betrayal, and moral ambiguity. The plot revolves around the Bodman couple — a pair who despise each other but cannot divorce: under English law at the time, extreme grounds were required, which they formally did not have.
The husband, John Bodman, decides that the only way out is murder. During a vacation in the Swiss Alps, he leads his wife to a ledge with a sheer precipice more than a mile deep. But the resolution is unexpected: the wife reveals that she had arranged everything in advance so that he would be accused of her murder — and she jumps off the cliff herself, leaving her husband alone with the consequences.
In its latest form, “alpine divorce” is no longer just a story, but a phrase that shows how quickly internet language can turn from a metaphor into something far more frightening.
Barr wrote a satire on the strict marriage laws of Victorian England, which made divorce virtually impossible and, in essence, drove people to desperate acts. The story can be read for free — the text has long been in the public domain and is only a few pages long.
Why Alpine Divorce Became a Viral Trend on TikTok and Social Media
For over a hundred years, Barr’s story remained a literary curiosity. But in early 2026, the expression “alpine divorce” literally blew up social media. It all started with a video by TikTok user @EverAfterIya: she filmed herself alone on a mountain trail, visibly upset, with a caption about how her companion had abandoned her in the mountains and she realized he had never loved her. The video garnered millions of views and triggered an avalanche of comments.
Under the video, dozens of women began sharing similar stories — cases where partners had abandoned them during hikes, walked ahead and never came back. The term “alpine divorce” became a collective name for such situations, and some users began connecting it to real criminal cases.
Screenshot of EverAfterIya’s video and comments. Image source: tiktok.com
A Real Case of Alpine Divorce: The Death of a Climber on Grossglockner, the Thomas Plumberger Case
One of the main reasons the term sounded so alarming was a real criminal case in Austria. In January 2025, 36-year-old Austrian climber Thomas Plumberger and his 33-year-old girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner set out on a winter ascent of Grossglockner — Austria’s highest peak (3,798 m). The couple fell far behind schedule, and by nightfall Kerstin was exhausted approximately 50 meters from the summit.
Thomas left her on a windswept slope where the risk of hypothermia sets in very quickly. Without covering her with an emergency blanket or placing her in a bivouac sack — both of which were in his backpack — he left to get help from a mountain hut on the other side of the summit. Around midnight, he called the mountain police, but according to the prosecution, he did not clearly explain that urgent help was needed, then switched his phone to silent mode and did not answer return calls. Rescuers found Kerstin dead the next morning — she had died of hypothermia.
Thomas left Kerstin approximately in the area of the red circle. Image source: oxu.az
In February 2026, the Innsbruck court found Plumberger guilty of causing death through gross negligence. He received a five-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of approximately 9,600 euros. Judge Norbert Hofer, himself an experienced climber, stated that the defendant surpassed his girlfriend in skill level “by galaxies” and should have realized that she could not handle the ascent long before the situation became critical.
The case took on an even more chilling dimension when Plumberger’s ex-girlfriend testified in court. She recounted that in 2023, he had abandoned her in exactly the same way on the very same Grossglockner — at night, after an argument, when her headlamp had died.
Another Case of Alpine Divorce: Attack on a Mountain Trail in Hawaii, the Maui Doctor Case
Another case that social media users began linking to “alpine divorce” occurred in Hawaii. On March 24, 2025, Maui anesthesiologist Gerhardt König took his wife Ariel on a hike along the Pali Puka trail on the island of Oahu — allegedly in honor of her birthday. According to the prosecution, on a narrow trail at the edge of a cliff, he pushed his wife toward the edge, tried to inject her with a syringe, and struck her several times on the head with a rock.
Gerhardt and Ariel König. Image source: wegotthiscovered.com
Ariel survived — she was helped by random female hikers who heard screams and called rescuers. Gerhardt König was arrested the same day. In March 2026, a trial began in Honolulu: he has been charged with second-degree attempted murder. He himself claims self-defense — according to him, his wife first tried to push him off the trail. If found guilty, he faces life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.
This case is not yet concluded, and the court is still establishing the truth. But the very fact that the attack occurred on a mountain trail during a “romantic” walk instantly turned it into an illustration of the “alpine divorce” trend on social media.
Where Is the Line: Alpine Divorce, Accident, or Crime
The popularity of the term is not just another TikTok trend. Behind it lie real questions that still have no simple answers:
- Does a more experienced partner bear legal responsibility for the safety of their partner in the mountains?
- Where is the line between an accident, negligence, and intent?
