Snowboard boot repairs

Before you try to fix a BOA snowboard boot or any other closure, confirm what you have:

• Traditional laces through eyelets and hooks. Burton calls replacing broken laces “quick, easy, and inexpensive.”
• Speed-lace systems with pull handles, often in two zones. Brands use their own names, routing and parts.
• BOA dials winding a thin steel lace. Burton’s BOA guide notes that instructions vary by BOA version (it names H3 and M3, for example), so parts are not all interchangeable.

Write down the boot brand, model and season and photograph the dial or handles; that makes ordering the right kit much easier. If you just need a reminder of how the system should work, our walkthrough on tightening and releasing laces, handles and dials covers normal use.

Check what’s covered before you spend money. A boot can carry two separate warranties:

• The boot maker’s warranty. Burton’s BOA lace replacement page says its boots carry a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty, and its Speed Zone repair guide says boots with Speed Zone are backed by the same 1-year warranty.
• The component maker’s guarantee. The same Burton page says BOA components on its BOA boots are covered by BOA’s own Lifetime Guarantee, and that BOA lace replacement kits are ordered directly from BOA by submitting a BOA warranty claim. Check BOA’s current terms before you claim.

Other brands run their own programs. Thirtytwo, for example, says it has replacement laces, locks and pins available through its customer service, and recommends an authorized dealer or local snowboard shop for help re-lacing rather than mailing boots to its office. Keep your receipt and take clear photos of the damage.

Typical BOA faults are a snapped steel lace, a dial that won’t tighten or release, or a cracked dial. Burton estimates a BOA lace replacement takes about 30 minutes with the right parts. Its outline of the job is:

1. Remove the BOA dial from its base (Burton calls it the bayonet) using pliers.
2. Unwind the existing lace fully.
3. Disconnect and cut away the damaged lace.
4. Thread the new lace through the boot’s guides, starting at the toe.
5. Feed the lace through the base and adjust the length.
6. Reconnect the lace to the dial cartridge with the specified knots.
7. Refit the dial.

Follow the card in your kit over any summary, including this one, because removing a BOA dial and re-lacing differ between versions. Don’t lever a stuck dial off with force, and check the lace isn’t kinked or trapped in a guide. If the dial base, guides or shell around them are damaged, a snowboard shop is the better option.

Speed-lace systems

Burton’s Speed Zone repair guide gives five steps: get a Speed Zone replacement kit, remove the liner (optional), remove the broken lace, re-lace the upper or lower zone, and tie off the anchor knot. It says the kit includes laces with handles attached, a threading tool and an instruction card, available from Burton stores, Spare Parts on burton.com or authorized retailers. Other brands route their laces differently, so use their kit and card.

Traditional laces

Replace worn laces with ones of the right length and type for snowboard boots, and check hooks and eyelets for sharp edges that would cut the new lace.

Liners

Torn fabric or a broken liner lace can often be fixed by a shop. Liners that have packed out badly may need replacing; Burton says it doesn’t sell liners separately and points riders to third-party retailers. Heel lift and boots that feel too big are fit problems rather than repairs: see our heel-lift fixes and J-bar guide.

How to fix a snowboard boot sole

A peeling sole, split shell or failing stitching is harder to repair well, because any adhesive has to bond flexible materials through cold, wet and heavy loads. Before you glue snowboard boots yourself, ask a specialist footwear repairer or snowboard shop whether a lasting repair is possible. Household glues can harden, crack or damage the materials.

Many failures start with poor drying and storage; our routine for drying liners and storing boots helps prevent them.

Use a snowboard shop or specialist repairer when:

• you can’t identify the exact part you need;
• the dial base, lace guides or eyelets are damaged, not just the lace;
• the sole, shell or stitching is failing;
• you’re unsure whether a DIY repair could affect your warranty.

If repair isn’t possible or costs more than the boots are worth, use our boot sizing and buying guide to choose the next pair, and see what to do with old snowboard gear.