[Ro]

Some good advice in this thread. Here's what I'd suggest-

Pick a board that, from tip to tail, lines up somewhere between your mouth and your chin. For a beginner, that's plenty long enough, and you could even go a few cm shorter if you wanted to.

It's like a hockey stick- sure, a longer stick will give you a harder shot, but it's cumbersome when handling the puck (which you do a lot more). A longer board will make you go faster, but it'll be harder to maneuver and carve with.

As for the flex, I agree that a slightly softer board is better also. If you make some progression and start going off jumps, it will be much more forgiving. Not to mention, you're a lightweight, so a board with moderate flex might be too stiff for you anyways. You won't be able to cruise at warp speed and simply mow through any choppy stuff, but in my experience, the days I went boarding as a beginner were after a huge dump of soft, fluffy snow. Perfect for learning in. If you can find a good board with a nice sidecut, it will make turning and carving infinitely more stable.

Buy boots first. You can buy them new and wear them in no problem, and I've had issues with my feet getting cold after buying used boots. As far as sizing/feel, the trick is to try on every company's boot(s), as each one uses a slightly different mold. One of them is going to feel right.

Then when you find your board, the width should match up with the length of your boots from heel to toe. This is important, as a board that is too narrow won't feel right (not enough surface area underneath), and a board that's too wide will be difficult to shift your weight from heel to toe on.

Bindings. Have you seen the step-in style of bindings? They're handy for beginners, but can be a little expensive, and to me, don't give you a true "feel" for your board. But they are an option. IMO, it's not going to matter TOO much what bindings you go with for your first set-up, you'll know a little better after some experience what you might prefer next time.

The next important thing is your stance. If you plan on learning to ride both directions, regular and switch, you'll want to set your bindings in a "V" shape. Otherwise, you can angle them both in the same direction (downhill), with the trailing foot somehwere between 5* and 0*. The angles are all preference, and I know from experience that may riders just get used to the way they originally set them up instead of fiddling with them once in while to see if something feels better. I like a width that is a couple inches more than shoulder width, but that may be a tad too wide. Start with shoulder width, add a few notches, and go from there. Find a stance you like, but don't just stick with the first one you set up.

A helmet is a personal preference, but I'd wear one. They have nice Louis Garneau ones at Costco right now for $50. When you fall, tuck in and land on shoulders, instead of your wrists. Wear an extra pair of shorts or two underneath your first couple of times, as you'll be doing lots of sitting/falling on your ass, and it will likely get wet/cold. If you can afford it, and if you're having problems, a lesson is really helpful.

Hmmmmm. What else. If there is a ski/snowboard swap coming up in CGY, go there for sure. Tons of used and new equipment, all pretty reasonable prices. If you want a cheap(er) but not not totally crappy board, you could get one at Sport Chek/Mart. Option, Ride, Morrow, Lamar, they even sell entry-level Burtons there. All of those are fine for what you seem to be after. You'll know the cheaper brands when you shop around a bit (LTD, Firefly).

Oh yeah, one of those stomp pads is essential when you're first starting. The crappiest part about the transition from skiing to boarding is the whole strap-on, strap-off thing when you get on and off a lift, or when you lose momentum and have to "skate" with one foot strapped in. One of those things will give you mucho traction and make it easier.