KATHMANDU: At least 466 foreign climbers, along with over 500 climbing guides, are all set to begin their final summit push on the world's eighth-highest peak this week, after a strong team of rope-fixing climbers prepares to open a climbing route to the top of Mt Manaslu in a day or two, expedition operators said.

A team of rope-fixing climbers assigned by the Expedition Operators Association Nepal is all set to open the summit route on September 17 or 18, depending on weather conditions, said Chhang Dawa Sherpa, expedition leader of Seven Summit Treks, who is now at the base camp.

"The rope-fixing team has already reached Camp III to further set the route to the summit point," Sherpa said, adding that they are preparing to reach the summit point once the weather allows.

Lakpa Sherpa, expedition leader of 8K Expeditions, informed that all climbers are now busy with acclimatisation rotations. Once the rope is fixed, they will launch the final summit push, he added.

The Department of Tourism has issued 466 permits — for 342 male climbers and 124 female climbers. In the autumn season, the DoT also issued 19 permits for Dhaulagiri, 16 for Danga Peak, three for Makalu, two for Ganggapurna West, and seven for Thorong Peak.

The DoT collected US$1,434,193 in royalties from the permits issued for autumn climbing.