6 winning metal roofing snow retention projects

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

Check out the winners of the 2025 "Show Us Our Snow Guards" contest!

Metal roofs dominated the “winner’s circle” in the 2025 “Show Us Our Snow Guards” Contest this year. There were eight total awards given out, and 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 of 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.”

Montana one-of-a-kind home

For their new construction of a custom home in Big Sky, Montana, Battle Ridge Builders 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, Montana. “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, Spenser contacted Rocky Mountain Snow Guards 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 Blizzard Heavy Duty II with S-5!® S Clamps and ice flags in dark bronze.

The aluminum 2-pipe snow fence bracket with two attached standard (full-sized) clamps are specifically created for standing seam metal panels. Effective for snow retention in areas with high snow loads, the S-5!® standing-seam clamps are designed to affix directly to the vertical seams of the metal panels without penetrating the seam by tightening the stainless steel setscrews that are included.

“This was my first time using their products,” says Spenser. “I had a positive experience with the company and will likely install their products again on future projects. Installation of the snow retention materials was very straight forward. Most importantly, the homeowners feel secure and safe with their new roofing system.”

Condo community in Colorado

In Colorado, a similar version of the Blizzard system helped Turner Morris Commercial Roofing capture the Grand Prize for the second consecutive year for the “Most Outstanding Commercial Snow Retention System Project” in the 2025 “Show Us Our Snow Guards” Contest.

Adding a copper standing seam roof and a dark bronze snow fence system to the amenity-filled Tyrolean Condo units in Vail, Colorado gave the entire development an upgraded look. The winning project features Blizzard Heavy Duty III with S-5!® U Clamps aluminum 3-pipe snow fence systems 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 of 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 Will, 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.

“Our mountain division works diligently to accomplish nuanced and intricate roofs at a high level of quality,” says Bodmer. “We specialize in providing those details and unique roofs that go above and beyond a basic roof. Our team works incredibly hard to provide our customers with the highest quality roofs and products. It feels great to be a repeat winner of this award. It contributes to our belief that doing work right the first time pays off.”

Event center in Wyoming

One of the winning metal roofing systems in the contest showcasing this theory is the whopping 112,716-square-feet of space (without the slope factor) on the roof at the Ford Wyoming Center in Laramie, Wyoming. The multi-purpose facility has MBCI® SuperLok metal roof panels overhead.

“The center’s metal roof covering was replaced in 2009,” according to Cody Lawson, director of operations of 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 feet 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.”

Gem City Roofing came to the rescue at the Ford Wyoming Center by retrofitting S-5!® ColorGard with S-5!® H90 Clamps and S-5!® SnoClip™ IIIs on the center’s roof. To determine the best system to install on the 10/12 slope roof, Dino Ruffoni, owner of Gem City Roofing, relied on the free layout service from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

“For this particular project, it felt good to assist the City of Casper,” says Dino, whose company is based in Laramie, Wyoming. “They get about 70+ inches of snowfall each year so they required a snow retention system on the Ford Wyoming Center for public safety and to reduce liability.”

The most popular selling snow retention system for metal roofs available from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, the S-5 ColorGard system was recently upgraded to a 2.0 version by its manufacturer, S-5!®. Designed specifically for metal roofs, the product is now a true “lay-and-play” system for both new construction and retrofit applications. This means that roofers are no longer required to preassemble the system before getting on the roof.

A new internal splice, the VersaClip™, can be installed directly over all splices, eliminating the need for in-field cutting. ColorGard 2.0 crossmembers now require field cutting only at the end of the assembly. The aesthetically pleasing snow retention system provides optimal performance on exposed-fastened and standing seam metal roof profiles. Designed to last the life of the roof with corrosion-resistant materials, ColorGard 2.0 has been load-tested on more than 500 roof profiles, ensuring safety and reliability for a wide range of metal roofs.

Colorado hotel

In Littleton, Colorado, another winning commercial project also features the ColorGard 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 Nick, 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, Nick approached Rocky Mountain Snow Guards for a snow retention layout created from a satellite measurement report. S-5!® ColorGard with S-5!® S Clamps and 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 Nick. “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.”

Custom home in Nebraska

White Castle Roofing showcased a stunning residential custom roof in the contest to capture an award. This one on a Nebraska home that includes both standing seam metal and composite slate. The snow retention system works seamlessly across both surfaces without disrupting the design flow.

“The combination of dark bronze RG10 snow guards on the DaVinci® Province Slate roof and S-5!® ColorGard Bar with dark bronze color strips and S-5!® E 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, Nebraska. “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, Nebraska, 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 Rocky Mountain Snow Guard’s layout service to confirm our product choices and placement,” says Taylor. “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.”

Alaska campground

Finally, 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 company was awarded a project from the U.S. Forest Service to create three campsites with tables, upgrade the road system, install an outhouse, put up new signage and build 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 three to five feet. 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 ‘70’s,” says Austin, landscape architect for USDA out of the Sitka Ranger District in Alaska. “After the late 90’s 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.”

Rock-N-Road Construction completed the projects with some guidance from the estimating team at Rocky Mountain Snow Guards. They helped with the covered pavilion’s design and layout.

“We ended up installing S-5!® X-Gard 2.0 with S-5!® N Clamps and X-Clips II on the 26-gauge steel roof,” says Ambre Burrell, vice president of Rock-N-Road Construction out of Petersburg, Alaska. “Our Alaska winters can be pretty harsh, so making sure we have quality products was really important to us. This was our first job for the U.S. Forest Service, and we’re now working a lot of jobs with them. Our guys treat every job like it’s their personal home and the El Capitan Campground was no different!”