Kleiner Solstein, Mountain summit in Nordkette range, Tyrol, Austria

Kleiner Solstein is a 2,637 m summit in the Nordkette range of the Karwendel, in Tyrol, and the highest peak of that chain, standing almost 100 m above the Großer Solstein to its west. Its south side, facing the Inn valley, consists of schrofen and steep cirques, while to the north it drops in a rock face up to 600 m high toward the Großkristental. The summit ridge is flat.

The sources document no first-ascent date for the Kleiner Solstein; the 1867 claim is unsupported. Its recorded climbing history centres on the routes to the saddle between the two Solstein peaks, reached from the Solsteinhaus via the Großer Solstein or by two paths from the Neue Magdeburger Hut. The crossing from the Hohe Warte over the Gamswart Saddle, graded UIAA III-, follows the initially extremely sharp eastern arête, and several difficult routes climb the north face.

The name Solstein is commonly linked to the Solsteinhaus and the surrounding Solstein group, and the pair of peaks is distinguished only by the prefixes Klein and Groß. Visitors heading for the saddle between the two summits pass the Solsteinhaus, a base of the Innsbruck section of the Alpine Club, before continuing over the Großer Solstein.

Multiple climbing routes lead to the summit, with the main approach beginning at the saddle between the two Solstein peaks. Sturdy footwear and good footing are necessary due to exposed terrain and steep sections.

The name Kleiner Solstein is misleading because this peak actually stands taller than its neighbor Großer Solstein. This amusing naming contradiction often surprises first-time visitors to the mountain.