2. Little Squaretop and Little Squaretop Massif

Next to the Needle to the north lie Little Squaretop and an equally high plateau to the east, Little Squaretop Massif, the two separated by a gully running north-south. Both summits are inferior to the Needle by only a few feet. Viewed from the west, only Little Squaretop is visible, a small, squarish tower on a culminating point of the Ridge which is s a miniature version of Squaretop farther to the north. Viewed from the east, only the Massif is seen, as the level crest of its great E Face.

Little Squaretop and Little Squaretop Massif from Organ Needle

2a. Normal Route
Class: High 4	4� - 5 hours
First ascent: Little Squaretop: 17 January 1953, M. Shriver, 0. Parsons, B. Caldwald, H. Davis.
First ascent: Little Squaretop Massif: ?

Take the approach for Route la but instead of turning right into Dark Canyon, keep left and turn into the north-south gully which separates Little Squaretop and the Massif. A number of routes up the southeastern end of the Massif can be found. Descend a steep gully at its northwestern end and rappel from a (well-concealed) fixed angle piton into the main north-south gully. From here it is a 3rd Class scramble to the top of Little Squaretop. This rappel route can also be used as an ascent route.

Return via the approach routs.

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2a. Direct W Side
Class: Low 5	4� - 5 hours
First assent: 24 Feb. 1962; R. Ingraham, F. Wohlt, D. Eng.

Follow the approach of Route la as far as the saddle above the Gray Eminence, then head north to a deep slash in the rock wall, which begins at this altitude. Do not confuse it with a much deeper slash farther to the south. Go up its right side, overcoming a rather steep little ridge at the top. This lands you on a brushy part of the mountainside above the wall; continue straight up to the smooth slabs which form the lower part of Little Squaretop. Take to these slabs at their left side, then traverse right over the top of a large shoulder with a strikingly smooth face to a point some 50 feet beyond a tall pine, Step across a wide gap into a short awkward jam crack; above this bear leftward onto the smooth granite terminal slabs. Eventually you reach a profound crack beyond which several gigantic blocks are piled up to form the summit. (The natural way, across this crack, has not yet been forced.) Descend a few hundred feet on the S Side into the main north-south gully separating Little Squaretop from the Massif, then climb up 3rd Class rock to the summit of Little Squaretop, as in Route 2a.

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b

2c. E Face, Bowl Route
Class: High 4	6 - 6� hours
First ascent: Spring, 1960; R. Ingraham and P. Wohlt

Take the approach for the NE Face of the Needle (Route le) but stop on a "nose", or promontory, beneath the E Face of Little Squaretop Massif. This nose is recognizable as follows: directly above, the upper part of the wall flares out in a great overhanging roof; to your left the wall is scooped out into a large bowl bounded above by short vertical and overhanging sections and on the south by a narrow, steeply descending, shouldered ridge. Traverse off the nose on a narrow ledge into the right side of the Bowl and continue up, generally keeping to its right side, over slabby sections and up short chimneys. Near the top of the Bowl you reach a little glen, hemmed in tightly by vertical walls. Climb out over steep rock with plenty of holds at its rear. This puts you on a short depressed portion of the Organ Ridge. Climb north over a small shoulder, descend a few feet, then go up a rather awkward staircase which tends to push you off its shelving ledges. This leads to the southeast end of the Massif's summit plateau.

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2d. E Face, Lost Carabiner Route
Class: Medium 5	6� - 7 hours hours
First ascent: Spring, 1960; R. Ingraham and P. Wohlt

This route is an Organ classic by reason of the scale of the Wall, well over 1000 feet high, and the unrelieved high angle of the rock.

The approach is exactly the same as for Route 2c. From the "nose", traverse a short distance to the right and get onto a low-relief rib which goes all the way to the summit, The climbing is over very steep rock with good holds and good piton protection. Near the top, on a level with the great overhanging roof to the south, the rib steepens and the cracks, so far good, peter out; about here a rappel piton with an abandoned carabiner witnesses the high water mark of the star-crossed attempt of the first ascent party to stay on the rib all the way to the top. About 40 feet under this carabiner, traverse left off the rib into a steep, broken up, 4th Class gully which leads to the summit of the Massif.

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2e. E Face, Impasse Route
Class: Medium 5	7 - 8 hours hours
First ascent: Spring, 1960; P. Wohlt, J. France, R. Ingraham, T. McCalla.

Take the E Face approach (see Route le) but stop at a point directly below a huge rounded rock shoulder crowned with large pines which lies about halfway up the north end of the Little Squaretop Massif.

This point is about 20 minutes short of the "nose" of Route 2c. The first pitch goes up a narrow 4th Class gully to a broad ledge. The proper route from here starts from the south end of this ledge and goes up over exposed slabs with small holds and friction climbing to the top of the aforementioned huge shoulder. A difficult (and unsuccessful) variation, pursued by half of the first ascent team, starts from the north end of this ledge and mounts a feasible looking ramp seamed with large cracks and pitted with potholes. In spite of these encouraging stigmata the angle soon became extreme and the route petered out in an issueless open book near the top of the "huge shoulder". This variation could conceivably be completed by traversing upward and left along an excellent crack beneath a roof, either 6th Class or by an extremely athletic 5th Class finger traverse, to rejoin the proper route. From the top of the shoulder descend into the large canyon filled with brush, hardwood trees, and even a few lovely, rare aspen (Aspen Canyon) lying on the north side of the Little Squaretop Massif. At the top of this canyon climb a 3rd Class north-south rib leading directly to the notch between the Massif and Little Squaretop. From here either summit can be climbed, as in Route 2a.

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2f. Aspen Canyon Route
Class: low 5	5� - 6� hours
First ascent: July 1964; L Redford, R. Ingraham, R. Thomas, R. Hahn.

Use the E Faces approach (see Route le) but go only as far as the "Organ Glacier." This is a large gully, about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour beyond the E Faces Pass, which catches all the loose rock shed from the steep walls of the wide cirque above. It is full of old snow 'till very late in the spring and its steeper steps are often encased in thick bosses of ice. What renders it unmistakable, however, is Tiger Fang, a savage-looking tooth of rock projecting from the southern side of this cirque. Mount the Organ Glacier to the wall of the cirque, then climb southward to the pedestal upon which sits Tiger Fang. Drop down a gully behind Tiger Fang about 20 feet and traverse to the base of a steep chimney. One can surmount this crucial pitch either by climbing the left wall (hard to get started), by ascending the chimney and storming an inconvenient chockstone at the top, or by inching along a narrow crack high on the right wall (the most difficult variation, no hand holds at all). Above this, walk up Aspen Canyon, being sure to turn left into Aspen Canyon proper at a spacious cave beneath a gigantic block and not to continue straight up, which will leave you high and dry upon Organ Ridge, sealed off from the summit of Little Squaretop by the "profound crack" (see Route 2b). Arrived at the base of the 3rd Class rib mentioned in Route 2e, go left instead, and mount a gully heading east to a miniscule notch overlooking the hard pitches of the Impasse Route . Traverse out onto the top part of the E Face on a good ledge, then climb up a slab, which is a checkerboard of generous cracks, to the top of Little Squaretop Massif.

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2g. Tiger Fang
Class: medium 5	5 - 5� hours
First ascent: 1956(?); H. Davis and T. McCalla.

This striking 60 foot tower rises out of the lower part of the East Side about midway between Little Squaretop and Squaretop. Climb to the pedestal of Tiger Fang as in Route 2f. Traverse the pedestal to its southern end. From here the route goes up the knifelike SE Ridge, then onto a steep slab on the SE Side, for about 100 feet to the summit. Steep friction and small holds climbing; there are two bolts in the slab for security. Descend by rappel on the NE Side to the pedestal.

R.Hahn	R.Hahn
Tiger Fang	Tiger Fang

This material is from "A Climbing Guide to the Organ Mountains", Copyright by R.L.Ingraham, Privately published, 1960's.

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