The BOA lacing system, a brainchild of Gary Hammerslag, an engineer/inventor/snowboarder, went commercial in 2001. The first BOAs were integrated into snowboard boot designs produced by K2 and Vans. It is designed for convenience - and that includes easy maintenance.
If your Boa snowboard boots aren’t tightening anymore or the lace has snapped, don’t panic - it’s one of the most common snowboard boot issues and it’s super easy to fix.
How To Replace / Install Boa Boot Laces
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
Most Boa cables snap when snowboarders rest their snowboard on their back foot when riding the chairlift. The steel edge grinds against the lace, frays the cable, and eventually causes it to break.
Replacing a Broken Boa Lace: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Remove the Boa dial. On newer models, twist clockwise and it will pop right off.
- Release the old lace. Create a loop and push it through until the cable disengages from the housing.
- Attach the lace to the Boa dial. Feed it through the longer hole first, loop it back through the next one, and repeat once more to lock it in place.
- Test it. Spin the dial to tighten the boot and pull to release.
The BOA Lifetime Guarantee
The BOA® Fit System is guaranteed for the lifetime of the product on which it is integrated. The BOA Lifetime Guarantee covers dials and laces.
What is Covered?
- Dials
- Laces
What is Not Covered?
- Helmets
- Medical products (as the safety of the overall product may have been compromised during impact)
To redeem a warranty head to our warranty claim tool, and we'll send you a repair kit free of charge. We process all claims through our online warranty tool. Here, you’ll be walked through a few easy steps to identify the parts you need and the directions to repair them. You can even upload a photo. Once identified, we’ll ship you a free repair kit, and you’ll be good to go.
Read also: Maintaining Snowboard Boot Performance
Considerations for Ski Touring Boots
Along the way to these mega-BOAs I just spoke of, the dial-it-up lacing system was somewhat common on ski touring boots. I’ve spent countless days in a Dynafit TLT X, Blacklight, Salomon MTN Summit S/Lab, and Fischer Travers (add to that a Scarpa Alien 1.1), and been good to go. All these boots use the BOA or similar Twistfit system. I’ve replaced the cables on the Travers, otherwise, I periodically check for wear. However, the truth on a BOA/Twistfit repair, besides swapping out the BOA housing or cable on the Fischers, looks daunting as the tensioning cable is threaded and routed internally on seemingly every other BOA/Twistfit boot. Consider what follows as a THR resource for those seeking replacement BOA and/or Twistfit parts or DIY repairs/replacements.
Remoteness: If a BOA breaks way back in the wilderness, that is pure FUBAR. It is. No doubt. But, in a pinch, a Voile strap tensioned over the forefoot can work.
Remember, buckles break, too. (Bring a Voile strap.) Buyer preferences pivot and sway. For now, you have some options for boot-lower closure systems. I’ll try not to fall into the trap of false equivalencies-as in a BOA (or Twistfit for Dynafit) is just as bombproof as a buckle because I’ve never personally had a BOA or Twistfit fail on me. I’ve never had a buckle fail on me either.
Please let us know if you have experience with a BOA field repair or a full-on replacement that we have not covered, as we’ll all be better prepared when the inevitable goes down.
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