Now thats-a-what-I-like to hear. I've always preferred a hard-tail for racing. I tried a full-suspension for a year, and it just didn't do it for me. There are a few companies still making steel XC frames. Jamis, Rocky Mountain and Voodoo are some that come to mind. Of course for some $ there are the more boutique brands like Spot, Gunnar, Salsa, Sycip, Dean and Independent Fabrication, too. You could always see what's on eBay, maybe some of the nice steel frames of yester-year (the Kona Explosif just went out of production this year). There are a bunch of companies (e.g., Kona, Redline, Haro) making a steel 29er hardtail this year. Let us know if you get something.