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only undefeated player at that Brier as well," he says with a laugh. That was hardly his peak moment on the ice, though. The pinnacle of Atchison's curling career would have to be the 2007 Brier against Olympic champion Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador. "We had a fantastic game," Atchison remem- bers. B.C. was awarded the shot of the week (which Atchison calls the "miracle shot") as a result of the team's performance. But the match came down to Gushue, who needed to make his last shot to beat B.C. And he did. "Even though we lost, it was close," Atchison says. "Hard fought both ways. Could've been any- one's game." It was during this era when Atchison noticed something wrong with his hip. Five years of pain, lack of sleep and conversations with specialists led him to get hip replacement surgery in 2014. "It was a game changer," he insists. "I was walking around that evening, and within a week, I was pain-free." But that's when the other shoe dropped. Although he was still coaching hockey and curl- ing recreationally, every- thing had to be put on the back burner when Atchi- son landed back in the hospital six months later to undergo surgery for prostate cancer. Ultimately, he credits his full recovery to his family, the teams he played on, the teams he coached and the teams he worked with, all of whom expressed their confi- dence in his ability to get back on the ice. Now, Victoria-based Atchison is back on skates and in curling shoes. He chaired the host commit- tees for both the 2009 women's national curl- ing championship (the Scotties Tournament of Hearts) and the 2013 world men's curling champion- ship. He coaches hockey voluntarily, skips a team in Victoria and calls himself a "free agent" in the competitive curling realm. That is, when he's not serving the industrial, commercial and institu- tional construction sectors in B.C. "There's so much in the lessons that you learn from coaching sports and competing in sports that is reflective in real life," he says. "I think there's always an element of com- petition, but there also needs to be an element of camaraderie." £ A F T E R HO U R S IF YOU MAKE IT Some 265 small businesses will be on display at Make It! The Handmade Revolution. The event, held at Vancouver's PNE Forum, runs from December 7-11 and highlights some of the city's most inventive makers of all things, including food, drinks, crafts and jewellery. There will also be food trucks and adult bevvies on hand. Vancouver native Jenna Herbut started Make It! in 2008 in a community centre in Edmonton. It's now one of the country's biggest craft fairs, with stops in Calgary and Edmonton as well as Vancouver. The latter edition expects about 15,000 visitors. makeitshow.ca/vancouver for more information. CRAWL SPACE The always entertaining Eastside Culture Crawl is back in East Vancouver, starting on November 17 and ending on the 20th. The 26th edition of the festival will feature some 500 artists opening their studios to the public. The event is focused on the area bounded by Columbia Street, 1st Avenue and Victoria Drive, and involves painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers and more. You'll find both emerging artists and those who are internationally established. culturecrawl.ca for more information ■ FUN GUYS Picture this: two guys who love magic mushrooms start an online dispensary in 2020. Their busi- ness blossoms into Vancouver's Shroom Bros, backed by a team of mycologists and cultivators making dried shrooms, microdose capsules, magic chocolates and more. Despite offerings like Monster Penis Envy and Jedi Mind Fuck, it's the Golden Teacher mushrooms—which'll set you back $80–120 and promise to "teach you something profound"— that remains one of their most popular products. ■ FROM THE GROUND UP In challenging the stigma around psychedelics, Ground Sounds aims to help people heal without shame. The Vancouver-based, women-led company grows its ingredients in Nelson and special- izes in low-, medium- and high-dose psilocybin capsule blends for spe- cific experiences. Grab Champion Lover if your stamina needs a boost or Super Freak if you want to chill. These capsule packs are vegan, compostable and clock in around the $60–90 range. ■ PSY-KICK Sunset City is a well-loved player in Vancouver's nootropics space. The online business delivers psychedelic products to be used as antidepressants or for creative and spiritual enhancement. Its shrooms, which apparently "love listening to music," are organic, B.C.-grown and come in many forms, from whole mushrooms to freezies, cacao bars and powder mixes. Goodies here go anywhere from $30–200. £ ON T R E N D TRIP ADVISOR A roundup of mind-altering products to get psyched about by Rushmila Rahman TOP RIGHT: GROUND SOUNDS; BOTTOM: JODIE PONTO 88 BCBUSINESS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022