Good on you for going full rigid on your first mountain bike. You'll learn to pick good lines rather than rely on suspension to just bash into **** like some troglodyte. Then get a FS bike and have at it. LOL
As far as 27.2 dropper posts - I've been using a PNW dropper (external cable routing) on my Ibis and it's been a peach. Cheap in terms of cost, easy to set up and reliable.