Are enduro bikes needed on the shore?

OOPS!! That gigantic pic didnt exactly help me with my subtle forum solicitation! lol

I think, like a few have already mentioned, the answer to the OP is highly dependent on one's riding style and their level of comfort with more technical and challenging terrain. Compared to years of yore, suspension these days is so much better that you need less of it to do the same job. However, it can be nice to have extra juice in the tank for those "oh shit" moments. So considering all that, these days I'd rather have a bike with a little more climbing/pedaling prowess than extra descending munching capability as my only or go to shore bike and have an older DH bike for the odd park day or full on shore descending day.

I'll chime in and say that I believe that much more so than travel, bike geometry will dictate your ability around these parts. That's not to say a slack rigid bike is as good as any full suspension, but some of my fastest times on Fromme and Seymour have been on a demo'ed Transition Smuggler (130mm/115mm front/rear). 

I think there's a great case for "quiver killer" trail bikes on the Shore and the rest of the lower mainland. I'll say that for the most of us, geometry will help you get down the mountain, and more suspension will smooth it out to get down faster. At this point, I'd venture to say that the 170mm bikes are superfluous (in the casual realm of "needing" equipment) fun/race machines.

I'll also add that the modern trend of slack+long reach 29ers seem to be very capable around these parts (smuggler/hightower/prime/django/following etc. etc.)

That's a great point. I'm happily in the same boat, probably going to bide my time until later this year, see what happens when the 'new model' dust settles, but I'm seeing the same kind of split in a lot of the models available, for instance:
Norco Sight >> Range

Devinci Troy >> Spartan

Rocky Altitude >> Slayer

Kona Process 134 >> 154

Kona and Rocky models get blurrier as there's a few more bikes that span that divide. And that's just the manufacturers I've taken an interest in. No park days for these and no big jumps, so my preference will be for a bike that climbs, giving me the endurance to keep pushing down faster.

Definitely good info, thanks for all the replies.

Im thinking an enduro bike might be what i go for, something that can handle anything i throw at it, and help build my fitness on the way up :).

Ive actually got my eye on a clearance 2016 Norco Range C7.4 with a RS Pike RC upgrade, have heard great things about the ranges and think its probably the best bet for me! Carbon frame with room for upgrades when parts wear out years down the road.

So I ended up getting a new 2016 Range C7.4 with fork and shock upgraded to Pike RC and Monarch RT from the stock X-fusion setup.  Couldn't be happier with the purchase! First ride today and it was the most fun I'd had on a bike in years.

Thanks for all the help

Nice looking bike!  Capable of vertical climbs, too, which is super impressive.

Nice purchase! Hit me up if you want to go for a ride on anything EXCEPT vertical!!!

Great choice. The Pike and RS shock are solid upgrades on that for sure.

I think whatever bike you have is the best bike for the job. You learn to adapt. I've seen everything on the Shore, from full on DH rigs on Bobsled to pinner xc hardtails on some of the gnarlier stuff.

I did end up getting a 160mm Norco Range C7.4. Totally happy with it..if anyone else is in the same position as me im finding it to be perfect so far for north shore riding! More playful than expected and climbs pretty well considering!

Thanks for posting this search. I'm starting down this avenue in the next few months, and am having similar debates.  medium travel 29er (what I ride now), medium travel 27.5, or 27.5 enduro sled.

Last time I rode Fromme earlier this year people made fun of my bike. Then again I'm still riding a 2002 Banshee Scream with Shiver DC's! That being said, if everything goes right in the next day or 2 I'll be riding a Giant Trance 1.5LTD instead.

Who the #$&% makes fun of someone's bike? I mean, I make fun of my own bike due to it's antique status and the way that it appears to go backwards when trying to climb, but really?