We just got home from an epic snowshoe adventure on Mount St. Helens! Our timing was fortunate to be the first tracks in after receiving 48″ over the previous 4 days. However, I was pretty bummed out by a broken BOA binding on my favorite snowshoes and had to rely on some older ones instead.
Backstory
Let’s rewind a few years, back to the Fall of 2020. Tubbs Snowshoes and North Drinkware just announced a limited edition snowshoe they called the NW x NE Flex VRT 24.
I was stoked about this collaboration because:
- I was already a big fan of the Tubbs brand with several older pairs of their Flex TRK model (even though all my friends have MSRs).
- The features of this new version of VRTs were next level (see list below) and
- this limited edition design was fire with the topography of two iconic state highpoints as their graphics (Mt. Rainier on the left shoe, Mt Washington on the right).
Yeah, I wanted these as soon as I saw ’em! So that Christmas, my wife surprised me with a pair…
Three Years Later
Fast forward 3 years now and we’re snowshoeing in December as a training activity for our upcoming Mt. St. Helens trip. It’s a freezing cold day with my ThermoDrop Zipper-Pull registering a brisk 7°F.
We do a nice 6-mile loop that doesn’t have a ton of elevation gain, but we did reach 10,000 feet and broke through fresh powder most of the way.
When I got back to the trailhead to remove my snowshoes, I released the binding by pulling up on the BOA dial and heard a pop.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same pop as the BOA locking mechanism. It was a different kind of “pop”.
Talk about disappointing… I haven’t even put 100 miles on these in the short 3 years I’ve had them!
- 18 miles in 2021
- 27 miles in 2022
- 42 miles in 2023 (they broke on Dec 9th)
Limited Edition, Limited Repair Options
I reached out to Tubbs thinking a “limited edition” product would have decent replacement options. NOPE! I was referred to a 3rd party repair shop in Oregon called Mountain Soles and Outdoor Threads. Their repair service for Tubbs states:
Since my break involves the molded housing described above, it looks like I need to replace the whole binding? Well that sucks… especially when I see two rivets that hold the molded housing this BOA dial spins on! Why isn’t that an available replacement part from either Tubbs or Mountain Soles??
I suppose I’d be willing to buy the whole binding if I absolutely had to, but this specific model isn’t even available from Mountain Soles…and if it was, I’d have to buy a pair?!
DIY Repair
Could I fix this myself? Maybe, with some Gorilla glue perhaps. Or what if I could buy just the dial replacement part and then worked with a local machine shop to have a stainless steel housing made to replace that weak plastic one? Either way, this can’t happen again.
Ugh! Maybe my friends know something I don’t with everyone else using MSRs.
What would you do?
December 2024 Update: Not only did TUBBS hook me up back in May, but they also contacted me in September to get my special edition model fixed too! I was completely surprised by this level of customer service. I thought TUBBS had already done more than enough by sending me not one, but two pairs of new shoes. It made me think of what Nordstrom would do. Needless to say, I was more than happy about all they were doing for me.
TUBBS initially offered to replace my broken BOA with their 2025 Flex VRT version (pictured right). This style features a black base color with green trim and a yellow dial. They assured me the functionality and performance would remain consistent with my original set despite the difference in appearance. However, I wasn’t sure I wanted to potentially repeat this scenario again, so I asked to have their 2025 Flex ALP bindings applied instead.
As you can see below, I think the blue accent looks so much better on these shoes anyway… not to mention a simple strap replacement in the event I ever have another binding problem to address.
Next Level Features
VIPER 2.0 CRAMPON
- Backcountry designed crampon.
- Carbon steel toe construction with jagged teeth maximizes weighted traction and responsiveness.
- Aggressive tang in the toe crampon deliver an added degree of security on variable snow.
TRACTION RAILS
- 3D-Curved Traction Rails ensure superior sidehill grip in hard-packed and icy conditions.
- The curved shape helps prevent fore-aft slippage on steeper terrain.
DYNAMICFIT BINDINGS
- Integration of the BOA® Closure System creating a precise fir with optimized control.
- EVA foam offers comfort while providing even pressure distribution around your boot.
- Releasing the binding is as simple as pulling up on the BOA® dial.
ROTATING TOE CORD & ROTATION LIMITER
- The Rotating Toe Cord design enables the tail of the snowshoe to drop, shedding snow and reducing cardio-respiratory strain by 7%*
- Rotation Limiter prevents over-rotation
