A young Calgary woman spent six hours in freezing weather after falling off a ridge while climbing with a partner on Mount Victoria near Lake Louise.

Members from Parks Canada rescued the woman off the side of mountain west of Calgary late Sunday.

Marc Ledwidge, a Parks Canada safety expert, describes what they know of the woman's experience.

"She had an ice axe and, of course, had crampons on, so she was basically just on her knees and feet and hanging onto her ice axe on the snow and ice slope."

Ledwidge says the woman managed to use her axe twice to prevent herself from falling completely off the mountain.

"Often when people start picking up speed down a steep ice slope like they just keep going, so this is very, very fortunate," he said. "We have to give her credit for actually stopping herself."

Because of a storm in the area, the rescue helicopter had to make several attempts to reach her.

The woman, who is in her 20s, only suffered some minor frostbite.