So, I just got back from a week's snowboarding in Les Arcs. The snow was fantastic; thanks for asking. And the fact that the package included lessons with an ESF instructor/guide meant that I got to do way more off-piste (powder and trees) boarding than I would otherwise have done.

The problem is this: my boots (Northwave Concept) are getting a bit old, and the laces on the inner liners no longer stay done up properly. On the piste, this isn't much of a problem, but it's starting to cause issues off-piste, particularly when there's not much time or opportunity to pause to tighten them.

So, the question: rather than replace the entire boot, or even the inner linings, how do I go about replacing the plastic clips that are supposed to keep the laces clamped? What are those bits even called?

I'd like to avoid dropping £200 on some new boots, when all I need is a couple of quids worth of plastic clips.

I'm having trouble seeing what the boots look like from online imagery, but are the liners simply done up with a "cord lock" type of device? If so, replacements are pretty commonly available.

Google Search for "cord lock".

MEC Cord Lock for $0.50.

Ah. Thanks for that, Mark. The correct term appears to be "lace lock", and it's more or less the exact same thing, but flatter (otherwise the lock would be pressing on the front of your foot -- because it's for the inner liner -- which would be extremely uncomfortable). In fact, the lock is Y-shaped, where the cords come up through the bottom, and then the lock slots down in between the cords where they come out through the top.

Unfortunately, searching for "Northwave" and "lace lock" reveals that they break quite easily and that Northwave's support is near non-existent.

I'll take a look at the cord lock / lace lock suppliers and see if I can find something suitable.

Looks like they might be called drawstring locks as well. You may find something useful here. Or, if you need more than a few, you'll find some here.

Thanks. The locks I've got look almost exactly like the B-LOK-3A listed there.