I'm actually in a similar-ish situation. We just bought a chalet at Mont Saint-Anne, primarily for skiing, but we also plan to spend time there in summer and fall, and hence my son really wants us to get into some mountain/XC biking. He is a fairly avid athlete and like many ski racers sees this as a great x-training opportunity. I used to trail bike a TON when I was a teenager, but am now late 40s so it is a different world. haha Before dropping thousands on a bike, I want to ease into it. I've read this thread and a few others with interest, and it answered most of my questions.
But I just want to ask one pointed question to get feedback and make sure that my thinking was correct:
Given my entry level price point, I am thinking that my money is best spent getting a better quality hard-tail than a full-suspension that is the same price. Correct, or no? I am also looking on kijiji for used bikes that might be a good deal (and actually saw one this morning for a Cannondale hard-tail where the poor guy got divorced and now has to move and is forced to dump his bike!).