In reply to balmybaldwin:
If your tall, or going for a hardtail, then definately consider a 29er.
I have both a full-suss and a hardtail - both Trek/Gary Fisher - and I love them, really got me back into MTBing
Best approach would be to find a demo day and try some out - I posted a link to demodaze earlier
Do you need a full-suss ? I'm also more into XC than DH, but feel happier on the FS on technical descents. Plus I have a saddle-dropper(Reverb) on the FS, and that makes a huge difference. Then again, I often suprise myself how much you can do on a hardtail, and how much faster generally it is.
Whatever bike you buy, I'd check the seatpost diameter to see if you can fit a Reverb, and also get Tubless ready rims.