Back in the mid-80s, I was racing in the New England Mountain Bike Championships. Mountain biking was pretty new on the East Coast, and I raced XC and downhill. During the downhill dual slalom, I ate it bad and cracked some ribs and got knocked unconscious. That was on grass.

Downhill stuff these days--mostly out west where there are huge boulders and impossible drops--seems to me to have grown from BMX and trials (we used to call it trialsin). In addition to speed, there's also alot of finesse and technique.

My brother was a very good downhiller, sponsored by SE back in the day. He still had a couple of really neat downhill bikes, and he still does it "for fun," but now that he has kids he's not so reckless. He was a nationally-ranked BMX racer in the 70s for his age group, and his skills really come from BMX. Having raced and completed La Ruta de los Conquistadores, I seriously doubt that he would consider XC anything but "real" mountain biking.

I have no interest in doing downhill anymore, but I do enjoy watching videos of really good downhillers who really know how to handle their bikes and the environment in which they do their stuff.

As for nerdgirl, this wasn't a good fit for her. It happens. No doubt she's having a great time wherever she is.