My understanding is that most XTERRA courses aren’t all that technical. I also have come to understand that a lot of the top women tend to ride hardtails and try to make their moves on the climbs, whereas a lot of the top men ride FS for the descending performance.

I’m probably going to get something next year, most likely a hardtail with a bit of compliance built in (eg trek Procaliber) for XTERRA and riding local trails. I have a 26rr FS xc bike that’s a few years old already, but a HT will climb so much better on most trails.

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I'd go for a 100ish mm full suspension carbon bike.

You'll get a lot of different recommendations, none of which will have anything to do with you (same as mine). Depends on your skill level, ambitiousness level, the races you'll do, your fitness level, the trails you ride on most of the time, etc. Ride a bunch of them, pick your favorite that falls within your budget.

This seems made up.

I didn’t make it up. Can’t temember where I heard it now, maybe they made it up.

Now that I think about it, I might be thinking of something I saw on UCI World Cup mountain bike racing.

Ignore me. I’m rambling.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

If you are new to mountain biking I strongly recommend going full suspension. It will help you a lot over rough terrain and "bail you out" of bad line choices where a hard tail will punish you. Whatever speed you lose to weight you'll pick up 2x over rough and technical terrain.

I've ridden both kinds in Xterra. I would choose my hardtail every time and do now. While it's a FS will give you a bit more control on the downhills. The HT will make you a better rider. It's lighter, faster, and made to climb. Most courses are very roadie friendly.
My FS has set in my basement collecting dust. I love my Trek Pro-Cal.

I would second this as well, plus a FS will be more versatile if you want to get into some XC MTB racing as well.