The Terre Board
Terre Creative Studios is a creative media company focused on making sustainable choices second nature. The company began with its first project, “Terre_It_Up,” which reflects on climate change and its impact on winter sports.
As part of the campaign, our upcycled snowboard became a canvas for storytelling, blending art, sustainability, and the future of the mountains we ride.
The artists from Back Alley Boards brought Terre’s vision to life by layering key elements that serve as a visual reminder of what we need to protect. The mountains, depicted by Alex, frame the scene, emphasizing what is at stake. These were created using stencils made from post-consumer plastic bags. Luke painted rising flames to symbolize the heat of climate change, along with text designed to spark conversation. Characters drawn by Luke illustrate our response to the changing environment, showcasing how we adapt and make the most of a shifting landscape.
This board challenges our perspective by reminding us that protecting what we love begins with rethinking our impact. It was the first board created for Back Alley Boards and set a precedent for what was to come. We developed this board using the “telephone” method, in which it was passed between Alex, Luke, and Arthur without any of them knowing what the others had contributed. Since we had never worked together on art before, seeing it all come together into one cohesive piece was a beautiful experience, and we knew that something special was on the horizon with Back Alley Boards.
Barrington Public Library
When the Barrington Public Library in New Hampshire opened its new building, the teen section was designed to feel like more than just a corner of the library. It was designed to be a space where teens could belong and see themselves in.
To bring that vision to life, they commissioned Back Alley Boards to create a custom snowboard that would serve as a permanent sign in the space. Not only would it mark the section, it would also stand as a symbol of the teens it represented.
The project began in the best way possible: with community. The snowboard itself was donated by the library director’s son, a detail that gave the project a circular sense of connection and belonging right from the start.
After meeting with the library team and learning more about the teens who would use the space, we set out to design something that felt cozy, imaginative, and distinctly theirs.
“Medieval Meets Modern” became our guiding theme, a mashup of fantasy and contemporary culture. Castles, characters, books, gaming references, and bold lettering came together to create a world that felt both timeless and fresh. The board was designed to act like a portal, a blend of old-world wonder and modern creative energy.
Arthur focused on the illustrative elements such as characters, scrolls curling into graffiti, the text, and brick textures shifting between medieval and digital. Meanwhile, Alex layered metallic gradients, neon swirl graphics, and stenciled ivy with leaves collected locally, tying the artwork back to the New England landscape. Spray cans, hand-painted details, and plenty of late-night studio sessions shaped the board into its final form.
