I attended the very awesome Vermont Mountain Bike Festival this past weekend and had the chance to demo quite a few bikes. I was really surprised at how weird and awkward it felt to ride a bike with slacker geometry on regular (i.e., not pure dh) trails. I came away feeling as though I have less of an idea of what I want than before I demoed, because the bikes handle sooooo differently from what I'm used to. (One thing about riding a 29-er hardtail: I NEVER hit my pedals on anything despite slovenly pedal position. Full-suss trail bikes: wow! You really have to pay attention to your feet!)
Fwiw, my favorites were the Scott Genius 710 and the Kona Process 134. The Genius climbed really well. The Kona fit well and was lighter, and had a huge amount of standover clearance, which was nice. I didn't like the Pivot Mach 6 or the Transition Scout very much at all. They felt like too much bike for me--too much going on waaaay out front of my bars, and the bikes felt heavy and cumbersome. Tried a Rocky Mountain Pipeline with plus tires, and though I really liked the feel of the bigger tires, the bike was loud and not as nimble as I'd like.
So, back to square one trying to figure out what I want. I think if I can narrow my choices down to three or four bikes that I know fit well, I should try to demo each for a longer period on trails that I'm familiar with. I'd like to try a Genius with plus tires.
Btw, I took a women's skill clinic/ group ride, and I found it enormously helpful. I was the slowest, most timid rider in the group, and the instructors were fantastic: patient, supportive, and helpful. I ended up pedaling faster than my usual pace and got out of my comfort zone in ways that helped me improve and gain confidence. It just reaffirmed how great it is to have women's-specific groups in outdoor /adventure sports.