U.S. Trio Standing Tall After Slaying Himalayan Giant

Stinging wind, avalanches and falling chunks of ice ranging “from the size of TV sets to freight trains” weren’t enough to deter three American climbers from making history.

Fred Ziel of South Pasadena, Erik Eriksson of Tujunga and Jeff Alzner of Portland, Ore., returned home recently with the honor of being the third, fourth and fifth Americans to have conquered the 26,785-foot Himalayan peak, Manaslu.

The first American to reach the summit of Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, was Charlie Mace in 1996. The second was noted climber Ed Viesturs on April 22 of this year.

A fourth member accompanying the Southland residents on a seven-member expedition, Martin Minaric of the Czech Republic, reportedly also reached the summit. A Canadian member became sick early on and two of his countrymen--a man and his wife--quit after an avalanche wiped out 1,000 feet of fixed lines during the first of two summit attempts.

“The first attempt [on April 27] failed because of high winds and two nights of bitter cold at high camp [the third of three camps established along the way, at 24,300 feet],” Eriksson said. “The winds were 80 mph and it was about 60 below. All we could do was stay in our tents.

“The next day we descended to base camp [at 16,000 feet] to eat and get strong again because two nights at 24,000 feet really saps the muscles.”

On May 3, having restrung their climbing lines, they were on their way back up the mountain, reaching a different camp each night before deciding to try for the summit well before dawn on May 7.

“The three of us left for the top at 3 a.m. and it was totally still outside,” Eriksson said. “We made the summit at about 12:45 p.m. Martin didn’t leave till about dawn, for some reason, and was quite a bit behind us. He barely made it back [to camp] before nightfall, but I don’t doubt that he reached the summit.”

The expedition was completed without Sherpas--local guides who also carry supplies--to save money.

For Ziel, 45, and Alzner, 40, it was the third ascent of an 8,000-meter peak. For Eriksson, 44, Manaslu was his first Himalayan giant.

“It was pretty anticlimactic because we were all affected by the altitude,” he said, “and by the time we reached the top it was whiting out so quickly that we couldn’t even see our noses in front of our faces. All we did was touch the top, get a good a shot [photo] of the summit and run out of there.”

Actually, they descended very carefully.

Manaslu doesn’t have the notoriety of, say, Everest or K2, but with its glacial composition, dangerous ice falls and fickle weather, it can be just as deadly as its taller neighbors.

In fact, locals refer to Manaslu as “Killer Mountain” because more than 30 people have died on its slopes since it first was conquered in 1956.

In 1972, 15 members of a Korean expedition were killed at 22,800 feet when an avalanche buried their camp.

“There are plenty of dead bodies up there proving how dangerous it can be,” Eriksson said.

MORE MANASLU

Eriksson and his companions encountered a few other expeditions during their ascent, including Viesturs and his longtime climbing companion, Veikka Gustafsson.

After conquering Manaslu on April 22, the pair proceeded, by helicopter, to 27,796-foot Dhaulagiri, which was conquered in four days, giving Viesturs 12 peaks in his attempt to become the first American to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter mountains.

WILD FILE

* Going to Mammoth Lakes? You might want to avoid the Mammoth Creek area, or at least leave the kids and pets at home. An employee at Sierra Meadows Ranch recently reported hearing the shrill cry of a small canine and then seeing a large mountain lion sauntering away with a coyote between its jaws.

The same afternoon, a dog that had escaped from a nearby kennel returned with a six-inch gash on its neck, presumably inflicted by a mountain lion, according to a report in the Mammoth Times.

The cougar sighting was the third in the Mammoth Creek area in the last several weeks. The Department of Fish and Game is monitoring the situation, and warden Al Zamudio said the big cat will be tracked and killed only if it is deemed “an imminent threat to life, health and safety.” Of humans, that is.

* A black bear was killed during Memorial Day weekend by wildlife officials in the popular Tonto Creek area of Arizona, and blame is being placed on irresponsible campers leaving trash behind.

“This bear was going from trash pile to trash pile and showed absolutely no fear of humans,” said Craig McMullen of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the amount of trash left by campers resulted in this bear becoming habituated to human-provided food and to being around humans.”

McMullen said relocating the bear was not an option “because we would be just transferring a public safety problem from one area to another.”

California wildlife officials go through this several times each year and stress the importance of packing out trash and not feeding bears.

* An Alaska hiker got off two shots, but it wasn’t enough to save him from a large grizzly bear that inflicted a fatal bite to the hiker’s head last week near Soldotna.

Wildlife officials are baffled because Kenneth W. Cates, 53, of Soldotna apparently hadn’t done anything to provoke an attack. In fact, the bear might actually have stalked Cates, which is unusual bear behavior.

“He had food out like he was making lunch,” Chris Johnson of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge told the Anchorage Daily News. “But none of the food had been gotten into.”

There were no signs of struggle, but Cates, who was believed to be sitting on a log preparing his lunch, obviously saw the bear charging.

Investigators believe he fired a warning shot, then another at the bear at point-blank range with his .280-caliber rifle. The bear did not feed on or drag the carcass, perhaps because it had been injured, they added. Bear fur and blood were found on a nearby tree and hikers are being warned to stay out of the area.

HOT RAILS

* Just when it seemed an albacore season was about to become a reality, a cold snap arrived and shut off the bite. Monday was the last productive day, with 1 1/2-day boats returning from 150-mile marathons with 40 to 60 fish. The good news is that at least one skipper reported sightings of the popular tuna as close as 120 miles.

* White seabass have been making quite a splash throughout the Channel Islands in recent weeks, but with a one-fish limit in effect the daily tallies have hardly been impressive.

South of the border, however, it’s a different story. The Legend out of Seaforth in San Diego on Thursday stumbled onto a seabass bite skipper Shawn Trowbridge called the best he has seen. His 10 anglers won’t argue, having filled their Mexican limits of five fish each with 45-pound croakers.

* Cabo San Lucas/East Cape: Sea temperatures off Cabo are about 10 degrees cooler than they should be and as a result the fishing . . . stinks. Very few marlin, no dorado and only a smattering of tuna. The farther up the gulf you go, however, the better things get. Striped marlin are being encountered fairly regularly by East Cape anglers and inshore fishing--for roosterfish and jack crevalle--is very good from the East Cape on up to Las Arenas.

Top catch, an estimated 70-pound roosterfish by Dennis Spare of Vista, after an hourlong fight from the beach on the Pacific side just north of Cabo. Spare took the rod after surf-fishing guide Jeff Klassen had hooked the fish.

DIVING IN

June has been designated National Scuba Month and June 19 National Dive-In Day by the Diving Equipment and Marketing Assn.

DEMA hopes to rekindle interest among some of the 8.5 million certified divers who might have lost their passion for the sport.

To this end, a national diving organization called the Hammerheads has been formed, and the organization on June 19 will attempt to set a world record for the largest group dive.

Those interested in participating or in joining the Hammerheads should call (619) 234-0345. The Hammerheads’ Web site is https://www.h-heads.com.

WINDING UP

Better hurry and catch that big one. You only have . . . 96 days left. That is, if you have entered or intend to enter the 100-day California Anglers Sportfishing Tournament, or CAST.

Prizes for the Yamaha-sponsored contest include three boats--the grand prize being a fully equipped 18-foot Parker-- long-range trips and other charters, and assorted equipment worth $100,000.

The real reason you should enter, though, is that proceeds go to conservation projects spearheaded by United Anglers of Southern California.

Cost is $15 for UASC members and $40 for nonmembers. There are 29 weigh stations from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Eligible species are bass, barracuda, halibut, tuna and yellowtail, with prizes in each category. There is also a special category for white seabass. Details: (714) 840-0227.