At around $2000 dollars new, IMO a Fat bike with slacker geometry and suspension fork is a better choice than a FS bike.
First you get the benefits of efficient pedaling due to the hardtail nature. All the power goes to the rear wheel, and I guarantee you that you will be dropping your similarly fit friends on their expensive FS bikes on climbs, especially with how good fat tires grip.
Secondly, the massive tires act like suspension. At 10 psi, the tires become super compliant and smooth out the trail quite a bit (especially if you run them tubeless with cushcore), giving you 10-20mm of suspension travel and exceptional grip over stuff as they conform to the terrain, whereas at ~18 psi they become very fast rolling and bouncy, making the bike feel lively and easy to get in the air.
Thirdly, they are great for maintenance on a budget. You don’t have to worry about maintaining the suspension linkage or shock, you have space in the front triangle for 3 water bottles and/or any gear. Its also next to impossible to damage a rim even at lower pressures due to the massive amount of air in the tires.
The only real 2 downsides to a fat versus FS is that a) you can’t fit a fat bike into a bike park bike tray b) the tradeoff of rolling resistance to gain compliance at lower pressure is more noticeable and unavoidable. But if you can get past those, they are super fun.
If you want some inspiration:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GyTXlwzZOw
by 8a71b4_