This is why I back up the friction hitch on my hunting tether with a slip knot directly below the Distel hitch once I'm at height, regardless of weather.Any rope/friction hitch can fail in below freezing weather if the rope/friction hitch is wet. This is not to say folks who use this specific rope shouldn't be concerned, but that everyone should be concerned...
This is why rock climbers use toothed ascenders instead of prusik knots on icy ropes.
A toothed ascender is a rope grab. I am not sure how well a toothless Ropeman 1 would hold on an icy rope. Friction hitches maybe not at all.saddle hunters, for better or worse, mostly rely on their hitch or rope grab as a single connection to their tether. rock climbers don’t rely on either a friction hitch or rope grab as their primary connection to their climbing rope - it’s simply a positioning device.