While I don't ever see me using them personally I would suggest that tethers are a better idea for someone seasoned like tradmanclimbz and not a new ice climber as they can encourage some bad habits, mainly leading above your skill level due to a false sense of security.
I did loose a Quark off the top of shoestring a few years back, so who knows... I should probably try them once... I just hate anything that feels "in the way" when I'm climbing...