Roofer profile: Spenser Fread – Battle Ridge Builders

By Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

This roofer shares about his first time working with Rocky Mountain Snow Guards. 

You could say that Spenser Fread was “strumming his way” into the building industry almost a decade ago. Prior to joining Battle Ridge Builders in Belgrade, Montana, Spenser was involved in another form of construction — building handmade guitars at the Gibson Acoustic Guitar Factory in Bozeman.

Now, as superintendent at Battle Ridge Builders, he finds gratification in working on both commercial and residential projects. One of them, a runner-up winner in the 2025 “Show Us Our Snow Guards” Contest, was actually the first time Spenser had used Rocky Mountain Snow Guards snow retention products.

Tell us about the residential roof your team installed for the winning contest project.

We used a vintage 24-gauge metal roof to create a type of lasting art on this new construction home in Big Sky. It’s simply beautiful and dominates the focal vision of the home.

Why did you decide on a snow retention system for this roof?

Because metal is so slick, snow can avalanche off it as the sun warms up the roof’s surface. That’s why a snow retention system is so essential.

We used Rocky Mountain Snow Guards as a resource for this home. Their free layout service helped determine what snow retention product to use and where placement of the product should go.

What snow retention system did you install?

The 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 included stainless steel setscrews.

How did the project work out?

The good customer service team from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards was very helpful.  This was my first time using their products.

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.”