The thing to consider is east coast snow - always manmade, almost always hardpack. So the flex is something to consider: maybe the bigger burton. And (this sounds dumb) I don't expect to be a beginner for long, been surfing and racing on skis my whole life and boarding for 15 yrs. So let's pick a board that will serve on ICE...
OK, my phone is 914 319 3396. Late afternoon is cool..........
any boots you want to dump? Size 8.5 US