In North American ski lodging, slope side is accommodation from which one can reasonably walk to the ski lifts. Such lodgings are usually at the bottom of, or right beside, the ski hill—hence the term slope side.
Due to their proximity to the lifts, and their desirability, slope side units are usually more expensive than off-hill units. Slope side accommodation is desirable for a number of reasons, mainly:
Some resorts, such as Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Sun Peaks Resort and Whistler-Blackcomb in British Columbia, feature pedestrian villages at the base of their mountains. Lodgings within these villages are considered slope side by the resorts, as the lifts are within walking distance of each unit.
In some cases, the slope side designation is used to describe hotels from which a shuttle bus is required to reach the hill. This is generally seen as stretching the term beyond what may be considered reasonable.