A dive into the disturbing term ‘alpine divorce’

Robert Barr’s 1983 sinister short story ‘An Alpine Divorce’ follows a married couple as they venture within the Alps. Disturbingly, the husband plots to murder his wife, but instead she plans to frame him for her death and jumps off the cliff herself. Unfortunately, this term has been thrown around online as women tell their stories of how their partners have abandoned them, usually in the wilderness, causing them trauma and distress.  

One video in particular reached 4.9 million likes on TikTok in February. A woman was left in a state of distress after her partner had left her on a hike. In response to this chilling video, a storm of comments rolled in from many women relating to this type of abuse.  

Throughout discussions online, the media have pointed out that this has been a case of men abandoning women, with the men having commonly been labelled as the more experienced in hiking. But why has the term ‘alpine divorce’ arisen to this extent? And why is it so frequent?  

Psychologists have suggested that these remote and vast environments give men the impression that it is a much simpler method to end their relationship

Psychologists have suggested that these remote and vast environments give men the impression that it is a much simpler method to end their relationship. What this very clearly shows is a failure to communicate with your partner. Lots of women have explained that their experience of an ‘alpine divorce’ was the early warning sign of their partner’s physically and emotionally abusive behaviours. The act of abandoning your partner in an environment like this leaves them both physically and emotionally isolated. Ultimately, this emotional abuse leaves one claustrophobic in an unknown terrain, resulting in a traumatic experience.  

Perhaps it is the tricky terrain that is hard to navigate, or bad weather, but the intensity of the experience could be what spikes the need to run away from your partner. To leave your partner in a dangerous environment is built around a desire to leave a relationship, leading the partner to physically unchain themselves from their partner.    

The online response to the ‘alpine divorce’ experience has been growing and is appearing to be a frequent occurrence, leading us to question as to why this is apparent in our society.  

Previous stereotypes surrounding men and their emotions have quite commonly been associated with emotional suppression, especially due to terms such as ‘boys don’t cry’. Growing up with this as the norm unsurprisingly results in an inevitable outburst of emotion, possibly even in a physical form. So, the ‘alpine divorce’ could be due to suppressed emotions surrounding any relationship complications, resulting in an inability to control emotions and eventually abusive behaviour towards their partners.   

Overall, the ‘alpine divorce’ experience is due to the inability to communicate in a relationship

Perhaps this term could also be applied to other scenarios, such as leaving a partner when they are in a distressing place with their mental or physical health. The lack of empathy to look after someone in an unknown situation also seems to be a likely cause for the abandonment.  

Overall, the ‘alpine divorce’ experience is due to the inability to communicate in a relationship. But what are the warning signs that you should look for in a potential partner? Psychology Today suggests that you should take into account a person’s ability to emotionally regulate both themselves and others. It is crucial to feel secure in your relationship and to practice healthy communication with one another.  

To relate this to life at university, nights out with people that you don’t know well enough or do not yet trust could end in being left on your own. Especially in cases such as fresher’s week, it can be so nerve-wracking to communicate with people that you might find clubbing uncomfortable or even feel anxious about it.  

Not everyone will be amazing at communication, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your relationship will also end in an ‘alpine divorce’. But your partner recognising and adapting to your needs in a relationship is crucial.