Jim Ballantyne's passion for windsurfing started in an unexpected place—on Austria's snow-dusted mountain peaks. After growing up in Westfield, Jim left for Europe to pursue a skiing career and subsequently spent his summer days windsurfing on Lake Garda in Italy. Realizing he had more passion for being on the water than on the mountains, he became a windsurfing instructor, surgically implanted a fin on his dorsal side, and moved back to the United States.

Today, Jim and his wife, Pam, continue to organize windsurfing lessons, as well as standup-paddleboard lessons. For experienced riders, they rent gear and a maintain a stock of new and used equipment, which expands to further action sports such as biking and snowboarding.