I am 5' 5" and 140lbs. I ride a 155 Burton. I bought it two seasons ago. Before that I rode a Sport Check Special.
Personally go into Sport Check and get the best boots you can - Spend your money on the boots! Then choose the coolest looking board in your budget that is 155 cm in length. Since you are just picking up the sport it will not matter what you are riding. You need to learn and develop a riding style (2 seasons) before you will understand the dynamics of riding a board verses skiing.
After you have developed your riding style - jumps?, technique?, speed?, carving?, etc then go to you local snowboard shop and tell them what you like doing, and they will set you up in the best equipment based on you and your riding wants.
DO NOT GO SHORTER THAN 155cm! Your friends will all be way ahead of you (speed wise) if you do.
I skiied for 18yrs before I switched to riding a snowboard. I picked it up (competent riding) in 3 days. That said it was 2 years before I developed the knowledge of what I liked to do on the mountain and what part of my equipment was holding me back.
Bindings - no need to get anything special here - as long as your secured to the board. that said try tweaking your riding stance alot. If your feet hurt - move them out, or duck stance, forward or back. Try lots of differant combinations until you find one that works for you.
Learn how to fall the right way. You will smack yourself hard at least a few times - it sucks but you will learn.
Have fun!
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