When the winners of the 2025 “Show Us Our Snow Guards” contest were announced in September, one trend stood out—metal roofs dominated. Out of the eight awards issued, six of them were for snow retention systems on metal roofs.
“We found this interesting because, while we do more layout and design quotes for metal roofs, we probably sell more snow retention systems for synthetic shingles,” says Lars Walberg with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, coordinator of the contest. “With metal roofs, snow retention systems are not just essential, they become part of the architectural design of the structure.
“Due to their ‘slick nature,’ metal roofs have a fast snow release. This requires strategically designed and installed snow retention systems for the safety of the property owners. Fortunately, these systems can be both functional and aesthetically appealing, lending to the overall beauty of a metal roofing system.”
Ford Wyoming Center
One of the winning metal roofing systems in the contest showcasing this combination is the whopping 10, 471 m2 (112,716 sf) of space (without the slope factor) on the roof at the Ford Wyoming Center in Laramie, Wyo. The multi-purpose facility has metal roof panels overhead.
“The center’s metal roof covering was replaced in 2009,” according to Cody Lawson, director of operations with the Ford Wyoming Center. “The decision to invest in a snow retention system was made after an employee was injured by falling snow from the roof.
“Prior to the installation, snow sliding off the roof created a significant hazard, especially in the back lot, where snow would gain momentum, fall over 30 ft (9.1 m), and crash onto the ground below. Since the rails were installed that problem has been eliminated. The snow retention system blocks most snow from sliding off. What snow remains loses speed before reaching the edge, preventing it from reaching ground level. This has greatly improved safety for staff and guests alike.”
The Ford Wyoming Center by was retrofit with a snow bar with stainless steel clamps and snow clips on the center’s roof.
“For this particular project, it felt good to assist the City of Casper,” says Dino Ruffoni, owner of Gem City Roofing in Laramie, Wyo. “They get about 70 plus inches (more than 1700 mm) of snowfall each year, so they required a snow retention system on the Ford Wyoming Center for public safety and to reduce liability.”
WoodSpring Suites Hotel
In Littleton, Col., another winning commercial project also features a snow bar system on metal roofing. This one on the WoodSpring Suites Hotel. A metal snap lock roof was in place when contractor Nick Piontek saw the roof had no snow retention system in place and reached out to the hotel manager.
“I simply asked if snow avalanching off the roof was becoming a problem for them,” says Piontek, founder and CEO of On Point Contracting. “He exclaimed ‘Yes! It’s a huge problem! Can you solve it?’ It was almost too easy.”
After that, Piontek got a snow retention layout created from a satellite measurement report from the snow retention company. Snow bars and clamps with evergreen color strips to match the roof color were specified and installed in about three days by the On Point Contracting team.
“This is the third hotel we’ve worked with locally that has metal roofs where we’ve gone in to retrofit and completely solve their avalanching issues,” says Piontek. “No designer or architect should ever create a hotel design for our area without having a snow retention system as part of the initial design.”
Tyrolean Condos
On another Colorado project exists a completely different snow retention system that helped Turner Morris Commercial Roofing capture the Grand Prize for the second consecutive year for the “Most Outstanding Commercial Snow Retention System Project” in this year’s contest.
Adding a copper standing seam roof and a dark bronze snow fence system to the amenity-filled Tyrolean Condo units in Vail, Colo., gave the entire development an upgraded look. The winning project features aluminum three-pipe clamp-to-seam bracket with two attached clamps on nine luxury ski resort mountain condos.
“Copper holds a special place in many of these mountain towns since it ties into the mining heritage of these places,” says Will Bodmer, project manager, Vail Valley with Turner Morris Commercial Roofing. “As the natural patina of the roof settles into a dark bronze, the powder coated dark bronze snow retention system we installed will eventually complement the roof panels perfectly.”
According to Bodmer, there were many extreme details involved in the snow retention system. The complex and intricate roof planes were a result of alterations to the original roof design over the decades that ultimately required mixed roof systems, roof ice melt, snow retention, and a generally customized installation.
Custom Montana Home
For their new construction of a custom home in Big Sky, Mon., Battle Ridge Builders also took away an award in the contest. They chose to use metal roofing as a subtle design statement on the home and knew there would be a need for snow retention.
“The vintage 24-gauge metal roof creates a type of lasting art on this home,” says Spenser Fread, superintendent with Battle Ridge Builders out of Belgrade, Mon. “Because metal is so slick, snows can avalanche off them as the sun warms up the roof’s surface. That’s why a snow retention system is so essential.”
For the new home project, Fread contacted a snow retention supplier and used their complementary layout service to determine what snow retention product to use and where placement of the product should go. The Colorado-based company specified aluminum two-pipe clamp-to-seam brackets with two attached S standard size clamps for clamp-to-seam fence-style snow retention systems generally found in areas with high snow loads. These standing-seam clamps are designed to affix directly to the vertical seams of metal panels without penetrating the seam by tightening setscrews. Ice flags in dark bronze were also included in the project.
“Installation of the snow retention materials was very straight forward,” says Fread. “Most importantly, the homeowners feel secure and safe with their new roofing system.”
Nebraska Mixed Roof Design
This stunning custom roof on a home in Nebraska includes both standing seam metal and composite slate. Ensuring the snow retention system works seamlessly across both surfaces without disrupting the design flow earned the company an award in the competition.
“The combination of dark bronze snow guards on a composite slate roof and a snow bar with dark bronze color strips and clamps on the standing seam metal is visually stunning and highly functional,” says Taylor Simpson, senior roofing consultant with White Castle Roofing out of Lincoln, Neb. “We pour a lot of energy into every project, but this one was special. Knowing that the craftsmanship, design, and attention to detail stands out on a national stage is a huge compliment to our team.”
The spectacular home, located in Lincoln, Neb., includes multi-faceted roofing. The flow of composite slate roofing tiles between standing seam metal roofing required vision along with skilled craftsmen.
“For the snow retention system we worked with the manufacturer’s layout service to confirm our product choices and placement,” says Simpson. “Their expertise helped ensure the snow retention system was both effective and aesthetically aligned with the home’s design while maintaining elegant curb appeal.
“From a practical standpoint, we had to make sure that the low-maintenance system we installed could handle everything from hail stones to heavy snow loads. Since we’ve had great experiences with the quality and performance of these products in the past, we have strong confidence in their performance on this beautiful home.”
El Capitan Campground
This project showcases a metal roofing solution of sustainability and strength, matched with a snow retention system of the same. When Rock-N-Road Construction was asked to build a covered picnic pavilion at the remote El Capitan Campground in Alaska, they rose to the challenge.
The project, from the U.S. Forest Service, involved creating three campsites with tables, upgrading the road system, installing an outhouse, putting up new signage, and building the new covered pavilion. The oceanfront campground offers a scenic view of the El Capitan Passage and is located in the remote Tongass National Forest.
According to Austin Thomas with the USDA Forest Service, the campground on Prince of Whales Island is open all year round, with annual snow accumulation of 0.9 to 1.5 m (3 to 5 ft). The snow, which tends to be extremely heavy, shuts down the road, and during wintertime the campsite is accessible only by boat.
“This area was originally a logging camp in the early ‘70s,” says Thomas, landscape architect for USDA out of the Sitka Ranger District in Alaska. “After the late ’90s a trail was constructed to the El Cap cave, the largest known cave in Alaska. Recreation use in the area increased the need for the U.S. Forest Service to improve this space and provide amenities for people.”
“We ended up installing a two-pipe snow guard system made for standing seam metal roofs on the 26-gauge steel roof,” says Ambre Burrell, vice president of Rock-N-Road Construction out of Petersburg, Alk. “Our Alaska winters can be pretty harsh, so making sure we have quality products was really important to us.”
