Overview
Morež (2251 m) is part of the Loška stena array. Situated between Briceljk to the SW and Bedinji Vrh to the NE, Morež is one of the central peaks of the array. Most of Morež is above the Bala Valley, the south and east faces dropping to karstic terraces high above the valley bed. One does not see Morež from the Bala Valley path before reaching the valley's uppermost slopes (below the Čez Brežiče col), and what then appears in the distance is the Morež east face, the face up which the standard ascent leads.
The northeast ridge lowers to the Konjska Škrbina notch which separates Morež from Bedinji Vrh. The Konjska Skrbina notch shows up on several maps as a ski touring destination - in winter or spring. The major shoulder along the Morež northeast ridge is called Mali Morež (mali = small). Another most important feature along the NE ridge is a fork, a north oriented ridge that branches off towards the summit of Votli Vrh.
The south side of Morež becomes yet entirely visible as one reaches the basin below Briceljk (f.i. along the Briceljk standard). Apart from being in the Triglav National Park, the south slopes of Morež were also declared a "nature reserve". The southwest ridge of Morež lowers to a notch/saddle making the separation with Briceljk, but before reaching the saddle, this ridge is interrupted by an important tooth (peak).
On the Koritnica Valley side (the valley to the northwest of the range, above the village of Log pod Mangartom), the northwest face of Morež often goes unnoticed. Consider that Votli Vrh stands out in front of Morež and takes over the viewer's attention, and that to the right of Morež it is the Briceljk walls that attract one's attention. Nevertheless, since 1998, three climbs were opened on the cca 1000 m tall Morež NW face - all winter ascents! See the external links below for beta. Note that the 1952 "Traverse" (Prečenje, a summer climb) is listed among the Votli Vrh west face climbs but that it also crosses Morež northwest.
(on various maps and sources, two different heights are mentioned for Morež: 2251 m and 2261 m)
Bala Valley : Bavšica Trailhead (alt. 710 m).
Koritnica Valley : Log pod Mangartom (alt. 650 m).
As far as mountain-hiking in Slovenia is concerned, the ascent of Morež is considered paramount. According to the literature (I also checked various forums), only the neighbouring Votli Vrh can compare. This is not mountain-hiking along marked and secured paths. In fact there is no path at all - only a few cairns in the upper part. Scrambling is probably a better word for this type of activity, and in the Slovenian alpine association mountain-hiking guidebook for the Julian Alps, Tine Mihelič asks again: " Ali moreš na Morež? " (do you have to climb Morež ?).
The standard ascent (east face, Bala Valley side) is a difficult scramble with orientation issues. It is not recommended without a mountain guide. After first traversing towards the center of the east face (coming from the Konjska Škrbina notch), the Morež standard twists up the face. The grass covered shelves have a very steep slant (never mind exposition), and the rock quality is often dubious. Furthermore, the approach is long and strenuous, and there is only one water source in the area (in the valley bed, at alt. 1300m).
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