Do you have an idea what trails you'd like to be riding on? Look at mtbr.com for trails in your area if you don't know any.
3' drops should be fine on a XC bike. So should jeep trails that climb up mountains. I'm curious where people draw the line between XC and All Mountain. I generally say that I ride XC, but I ride down some scary (to me) stuff sometimes (Emma Long, in Austin, was my favorite for this).
telenick - any thoughts on GF's "genesis" geometry?