time to check the roof after all that snow?

Now that winter's finally easing up (fingers crossed), I'm thinking it might be smart to get up there and check out the roof. Last year, I totally ignored it and ended up with a nasty surprise leak in April—lesson learned the hard way, lol. But honestly, I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to look for besides obvious damage or missing shingles. Is there anything else important I should keep an eye out for?

Also, do you guys usually do this yourselves or hire someone? I'm not super comfortable climbing around up there, but if it's straightforward enough, maybe I'll give it a shot. Any tips or suggestions would be awesome, especially if you've had similar experiences. Thanks!