When viewed from the valley of Eskdale the fell is seen as a distinct peak but in reality it is just the terminal point on Scafell's southern ridge before it descends steeply to Eskdale. It only has 14 metres of topographic prominence between itself and Scafell (the col is at 748 metres) and therefore narrowly fails to qualify as a Nuttall hill or a Hewitt and it is left to Alfred Wainwright to give Slight Side the status of a separate fell in his Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.