Kleiner Turm (2754 m) is the smallest of the three summits forming the Drei Türme in the Drusenfluh group of the Rätikon range — yet its position is far from ordinary. The surveying point at its top sits precisely on the state border between Austria's Vorarlberg and Switzerland's Graubünden, making a summit visit here a literal border crossing.

The Drei Türme form a striking, sharply cut ridge running from northwest to southeast, with Kleiner Turm separated from the neighboring Mittlerer Turm by a narrow névé field. To the south, the towers drop away in vertical walls up to 600 meters high, popular with serious alpine climbers. The Sporatobel gully below is often snow-free in summer, making approach easier in that season, while the surrounding high alpine terrain still demands respect. From here the panorama stretches across the rugged Rätikon peaks, including the neighboring Drusenfluh and Sulzfluh.

How to reach the summit

• Lindauer Hütte (1744 m) in the Gauertal — via the Drusentorweg, Sporersattel and Sporatobel, about 3.5 hours, demanding route
• Alternative loop via the Öfatal and the so-called Tiergarten below the Sporerplatte, avoiding the crux section at the Sporasattel

Practical information

• The summit's survey marker lies exactly on the Austrian-Swiss border
• Nearby is the Sporahöhle, a cave reachable with a bit of scrambling, featuring a horizontal passage leading to a shaft opening into the Sporatobel
• The cave entrance can be snowed over in winter — extra caution advised when passing through the gully
• Lindauer Hütte and the Gauertalhaus lower in the valley serve as the nearest bases

Nearby lies the Sporerplatte, a smooth rock slab that looks almost machine-milled, the result of a massive rockslide whose house-sized debris can still be found kilometers away near Gauen.