Brettski, would a gutter leaf guard that is solid, then rolled down solve the fear of snow/ice tearing them off. You could then raise the gutters back to a normal placement.
Bill Cody has them on his house and I can tell you they even shed pine needles VERY well along with a thin tree slough that has to be swept away on the sidewalk often.
Last edited by Rainman; 09/29/1010:14 PM. Reason: add link