For Black women, the push for representation in outdoor spaces has always been a journey of reclaiming safety and joy, but the “Alpine divorce” is adding a dangerous new layer to nature treks meant for stunning views and adventure seeking.
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The disturbing new relationship trend is turning scenic summits into sites of abandonment, and Black women are starting to come forward with their own harrowing stories.
It’s the phenomenon you’ve probably never heard of, until now. “Alpine divorces” describes the moment a partner—typically a man—intentionally outpaces and deserts his significant other on a grueling trail, effectively ending the relationship at several thousand feet of elevation.
The chilling trend first gained nationwide attention after TikTok user @Everafteriya posted a clip detailing the horrifying aftermath of being deserted by a man during a hike on Feb. 18, 2026.
In the now-viral clip—amassing over 25 million views—the woman’s voice cracks as she navigates nature all alone. Surrounded by unforgiving terrain with no soul in sight, she can he heard weeping about “the worst Saturday of her life” and declaring “how much I hate him” for leaving her to survive the descent on her own.
Women shared similar stories of their own Alpine divorces in @Everafteriya’s post’s comments. “My boyfriend did this to me. I found another hiker to show me how to get back then I went home and blocked his number,” TikTok user Ali wrote.
Another woman named Dani added, “I got left alone in the forest once lol. Had to walk back 2 hours by myself after he drove off. Never spoke to the mf again.”
Angela recalled in the comments how her boyfriend left her “on the hike out of the Grand Canyon. A very nice man from Norway helped carry my pack and walked with me. It took me 12hrs to walk out.” A fourth woman, Mia, remembered how she cried for hours, with no phone service, after her boyfriend abandoned her during a sunset hike.
Abandoning a partner on a trail can easily go from a bad breakup, a man’s bruised ego and lack of communication to a criminal offense, depending on the circumstances.
In February, Austrian climber Thomas Plamberger was found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter after leaving his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner on Austria’s tallest mountain last year in freezing conditions, CNN reported. The court ruled that as the more experienced hiker, Plamberger had a duty of care to his partner, and his failure to stay or seek immediate help led to her death from hypothermia.
Here in the U.S., prosecutors can pursue charges for recklessly endangering another person (REAP). If a partner is left in a situation where there is a substantial risk of serious injury or death, including lack of gear, impending storm or technical terrain, the act of purposefully walking away can lead to misdemeanor or even felony charges.
As Alpine divorces increase in popularity, support groups to help victims heal from the trauma of being deserted in outdoor situations— which are considered a form of emotional abuse and extreme neglect— have emerged online.
TikTok user @MatriarchalMindset offered women advice on how to stay safe when hiking as a woman with a male partner.
She encouraged women to “never blindly trust a man” and to make sure you “build your core strength,” complete cardio and build muscle to help sustain you outdoors longer. Her final piece of advice to women was to stop “being a pick me, cool girl who says yes to everything—especially if you’re not outdoorsy or don’t like to hike. You don’t have to go.”
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