Snow can be deceptive because the water content is hard to determine. Dry snow is less than 5% water, while wet heavy snow may be more than a third water. This water sitting on the roof can damage it from weight and accumulated water damage. Wood shake shingles and flat roofs especially are vulnerable to water. One thing you can do is learn to clear snow by yourself. As winter comes along accumulated snow will compress. So there will be more weight on your roof even when the amount of snow looks like it lessened. The average roof built by a Denver roofing contractor is rated around 20 lbs per square foot.
if you did not know your Denver roofing contractor personally however it is best to assume they did not do the best job in making the roof sustain snow loads. The roofing materials might have been rated at 20 pounds per square foot, but if there were poor construction methods or installation that number could decrease drastically. One thing the roofers cannot take into account is later self built additions to the home. These could change the structure integrity.
Steep roofs are best for cold climates. Snow will naturally fall off of these roofs at a certain weight, and it is much easier to rake the snow off. A shallow roof on a multistory house can be a nightmare to clean off. Sometimes the only solution is to literally scale the roof and shovel off the snow. This is extremely dangerous unless you have ice boots and know what you are doing. Check the weather report too. You don't want to get caught up on a roof full of snow in bad weather.
Metal roofs do a good job of shedding snow. Sometimes too good. Metal roofs are so slippery that the snow may come off in giant sheets like an avalanche. This is a danger to anyone below. Some roofing companies install devices that break up the snow so you don't get hit with two feet of snow while walking your dog.