Yeah just avoid the ugly cutter and you’ll keep the pristine look to the pack. Even an Ottawa cutter won’t wipe it out at this point, but nobody wants a 20 inch glacier either after 1-2” of rain and a refreeze.
That’s some impressive icicle action there. I was up on the roof here yesterday (and likely going back out there today) getting rid of the ice dams. One thing I hate about living where I do...I’m in that climate belt where it’s marginal to have traditional gutters. A little bit colder/snowier and you ditch the traditional gutters...you are well into that territory. Further south and you usually don’t have to worry because stuff melts frequently enough...but here is that annoying zone where every few winters, it turns into this weeks-long battle.