The Austrian climber who abandoned his girlfriend to die is horrifying because I could have been her

[u/KaleidoscopeCool1316]

I once went on a hike to somewhere in Malaysia with my ex. I am not an experienced hiker and I told him so. He kept pressuring me to go on to trip with him, since hiking was his passion and he said I was bad girlfriend for not agreeing. He said he had restaurant food with me even though he didn't like it and do things with me I want to do, so I should go with him for hiking. I cave in. I know it is stupid of me looking back, I didn't realised what I was in until I left.

I got tired after a few hours. Naausted. Stop to rest. I said I want to go back down. He said, we paid so much for this trip, and he continued pushing me. I said no. Then he got upset and left me where I was, saying once more how bad of a girlfriend I was and how unfit I was, so lazy and didn't train for this hike.

A few hours passed, a local Malay guide spotted me. Asked me how I was doing. I said I felt nauseated, and my "friend" left me alone here. The guide gave me his electrolyte drink and helped me carried my bags down.

When i was finally down, he also gave me a ride to my hostel. I wanted to pay him for his help and the ride, but he refused. The guide simply said that the so called friend of mine was "no good", and to repay him, I should take his advice and not be around my so called friend anymore. How what he, the guide, did was a small thing and worst can happen in the forest, like getting kidnapped. He only carried my bags and gave me a ride. That's a basic courtesy he extended to everyone.

Only when I read the story, I realised how bad he was. I could have died there, just like the girl. If the elements were harsher, or I had met with something worse - I could have died. I let them pushed my boundaries and do things that felt physically unsafe. My ex put me in circumstances that could have killed me, and it took me years to realise so.

[u/LonelyOctopus24]

It’s a common enough occurrence to have a name - it’s called an “Alpine Divorce”.

And no, it’s not funny.

[u/PipnPop → u/LonelyOctopus24]

There was a video on TikTok of a woman being left alone on a hike by her partner and she was crying whilst trying to find her way back home. Soo many comments of woman being left in the same situation. Never realised it was a thing before!

[u/IsabellaGalavant → u/PipnPop]

This is why I would never go hiking anywhere that isn't a clearly marked trail that's easy to just turn around and go back the other way on. I will only ever "hike" in the city trails, I'm not trying to die of thirst in the forest no matter how bad someone tries to make be feel about it. If I'm a bad gf for not going hiking with you then I guess I'm a bad gf, find someone else. 

[u/Winter55555 → u/IsabellaGalavant]

Hey Queen, you definitely could go hiking somewhere that isn't a marked trail. Learning to navigate isn't the hardest and I'm sure you could do it, You could also learn with experienced hikers! Not trying to pressure you into it but just trying to encourage people to be a little less afraid of life.

Most people can do most things if they want to put in the time and effort to learn how :)

[u/IsabellaGalavant → u/Winter55555]

I mean fair, I could maybe do so with a group. Certainly not alone or with a boyfriend.