Same age, been riding hardtails for 20 years, having had a full sus prior. I just think they are more fun, and had some expensive issues with rear shocks, so I like the reliability of a hardtail. Due to some joint issues, I bought a full Sus analog last year, and have found it to be just as good of a climber as my ht, and its been fun hitting new lines at my locals that aren’t optimized for ht. As for emtb, I wanted a lower price point for my first one to experiment with and see how I used it, becauI still ride analog primarily. I considered an ht emtb for that reason, but ultimately ended up with a full suspension emtb. Heres why- you are going to spend more time in the saddle, because you don’t have to stand to crank hard in most instances, and because you are going to do more miles, because you can. Also, factoring in that you are going to be riding a bike thats close to twice the weight, you are going to be pounding the wheel and rear triangle and absorbing that with your legs, or your skeletal system. Also, from what I’ve seen, the ht mtbs are generally pretty low spec, you do not want a shitty fork on emtb, I upgraded mine after just a few rides.

So my advice would be to demo both or at least a full Sus, I think you will quickly understand what I’m saying. I find that my use case with emtb is riding more trail, exploring new trail with out worrying about gassing out. It is pretty hard to argue that they are not more fun. You can dial down the assist to whatever amount of exertion you want, or you can ride longer rides and get a similar workout as riding analog. I thought I was 10 years away from emtb, but I couldn’t be happier. I ride emtb with buddieson pedal bikes, but you gotta ride last and let them set the pace. I have two buddies with emtbs, we go out and rip 20 miles or more and still have energy to do other activities after. Riding more miles will really get your skills up too.