KATHMANDU: The route to Camp III on Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse has been fixed, with the joint rope-fixing team under the Expedition Operators Association Nepal (EOAN) pressing ahead toward Camp IV as the spring season's summit push comes into view.

Lead guides Kilu Sherpa and Pasang Ngima Sherpa reached Camp III to pitch tents for climbers scheduled to sleep there as part of acclimatization rotations. All climbers can now proceed to Camp III, with attention turning to Camp IV on the South Col.

"The route to Camp III on Everest and Lhotse is clear," said Mingma G, Managing Director at Imagine Nepal Treks. "Next, eyes are on Camp IV."

The milestone follows the ferrying of ropes from Base Camp to Camp II by helicopter earlier this week, a critical logistical step that EOAN General Secretary Rishi Ram Bhandari said would allow rope-fixing to progress significantly. EOAN had obtained a helicopter flight permit for rope ferrying from government authorities on April 30 and waited for favourable weather before beginning operations.

Lakpa Sherpa, Expedition Leader and Managing Director of 8K Expeditions, said most climbers have completed acclimatization rotations at the high camps and are preparing for the summit push. Expedition operators expect summit attempts to begin by the end of the second week of May, weather permitting.

The route through the Khumbu Icefall to Camp II was opened slightly later than in previous seasons. At least 465 foreign climbers have obtained Everest climbing permits from the Department of Tourism this spring.