<p>Foliated rock slopes in cold regions are highly vulnerable to mechanical degradation under repeated freeze-thaw (FT) cycling. Owing to the low cohesion of weak foliation planes and the prevalence of microvoid structures, these slopes display strong anisotropy. Progressive FT cycling drives cementation degradation and crack extension along foliation interfaces, which in turn promotes interfacial sliding and throughgoing rupture, complicating failure mechanisms and elevating landslide hazard. The water–ice phase transition produces micropore-scale volume expansion that is widely recognized as the principal driver of structural deterioration and strength reduction, with effects most pronounced within weak foliation planes. To interrogate the evolution of macroscopic behavior and failure modes under FT action, we develop particle-flow (PFC) models spanning a range of foliation angles and cycle counts, and evaluate stress–strain responses, failure-mode transitions, and characteristic acoustic-emission (AE) metrics during uniaxial compression. The specimens are predominantly dolomite; FT-induced water–ice transitions cause bond breakage, pore-throat widening, and secondary porosity. Microcracks preferentially initiate and coalesce along weak foliation, and foliation-controlled anisotropy amplifies the heterogeneity of FT damage. During loading, weak- foliation zones act as primary pathways for microcrack growth and thus as preferred loci of instability, accelerating bulk mechanical deterioration manifested by continuous declines in compressive strength and elastic modulus. Once the FT cycle count exceeds 40, the system enters an accelerated damage regime: the load-bearing path migrates from a strong- foliation skeleton to interfacial channelization; the stress-displacement fields exhibit contraction of the effective load-bearing domain with pronounced banded localization. Low foliation angles exhibit an energy storage followed by sudden release response, whereas high angles are governed by slip-driven dissipation, with damage clustering oriented along weak foliation. Accordingly, the failure mode evolves from bonding-controlled abrupt coalescence to interface-dominated progressive instability. Collectively, the results enable quantitative identification and qualitative interpretation of microcrack evolution and its mechanical signatures, offering an effective framework for revealing damage evolution in foliated rocks under FT cycling and the foliation-controlled response mechanisms.</p>