On this week’s episode of Femme Savante we examine the viral internet term Alpine Divorce. The phrase has been circulating online to describe a troubling pattern in hiking and mountaineering culture where women are pushed into dangerous alpine situations by partners who underestimate risk, ignore safety, or abandon them in extreme conditions. The conversation has exploded on social media after the manslaughter case involving Thomas Plamberger, who was found responsible for the death of his girlfriend on Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria.

We break down the Grossglockner case, the rise of the Alpine Divorce discourse, and why stories about risk-taking boyfriends, mountaineering accidents, and extreme hiking relationships spread so quickly online. The episode also looks at the cultural fascination with high-risk male adventurers, from the aviation history of John F. Kennedy Jr. to the global fame of free climber Alex Honnold.

This episode connects true crime, mountaineering culture, extreme sports, and feminist analysis to ask why dangerous behaviour is often framed as impressive or romantic and why women are sometimes pressured into risky adventures.

Keywords: Alpine Divorce, Grossglockner Austria case, Thomas Plamberger manslaughter, women abandoned on mountains, mountaineering accidents, dangerous hiking culture, risk-taking partners, extreme sports culture, Alex Honnold free solo climbing, John F Kennedy Jr aviation history, true crime podcast, feminist analysis outdoors.

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Instagram: @femmesavantepod

Email: femmesavantepod@gmail.com

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Sources:

EverAfterIya video: https://www.tiktok.com/@everafteriya

Emmiesurespeaks video: https://www.tiktok.com/@emmiesurepeaks/video/7595205354762423574?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Thomas Plamberger case:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/world/europe/austrian-man-girlfriend-death-mountain-hike-guilty.html

https://english.elpais.com/sports/2025-12-10/a-mountaineer-accused-of-manslaughter-for-the-death-of-his-partner-during-a-climb-he-silenced-his-phone-and-refused-a-helicopter-rescue.html

https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/climber-thomas-plamberger-appeal-girlfriend-lfrlzm682

JFK Jnr:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/an-unsettling-portrait-of-four-privileged-classmates-who-met-untimely-deaths/2019/07/25/0e8dab54-a196-11e9-b8c8-75dae2607e60_story.html

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/04/jfk-jr-christina-haag-201104

Alex Honnold:

https://www.banffcentre.ca/articles/climber-alex-honnold-taking-risks-and-breaking-records

https://www.alexhonnold.com/#bio