Congrats Simon.
I board, even though it has been a couple years since I have been up to a mountain myself.
I have skied before though too, and once I tried boarding, I was hooked. Cross country skiing lacked excitement, but was great excersize. Downhill, was amazing.
Of course your gonna make your own way, but I say boarding is the way to go. So many ex skiers out there attest to this.
If your going to go to COP and have someone show you how to ski, that might be a great introduction. There is going to be a learning curve of course, and THEN when you go and board, your going to have another one. Granted it shouldn't be as steep.
Bindings are what hold your ski boots to the ski's Simon. The are adjustable, and they are adjusted so that if you do fall down, they break away from your ski's if you have a big wipeout. You prevent broken bones this way, and is primarily a saftely feature. Boarding binding are similar.
Try before you buy! Renting is the key here, try em both and see what ya love! Rental boards are no where near as nice as your own personal gear. However, if you rent em, you will appreciate just how nice it is to have your own when the time comes.
I have heard many great things about Kicking Horse too. It's relatively new compared to most of the other hills there, a few years ago I heard someone refoer to it as a "world class hill, that not to many people know how good it actually is". This was a while ago mind you. That would by my hill of choice though.
This last bit here is something I wish I knew before I learned to board. Your gonna fall down, lots. The first time I went, it was cold and icy, and by the end of the day, my ass was so sore, and so wre my arms from pushing myself back up. It's way more fun to learn on some fresh powder, and powder(freshly fallen snow) thats not very deep either. If it's really deep, thats more work in itself.
Take some lessons though. Expect for a solid day of wtf, and then once you start to get the hang of it, its so fun...you wont regret it, and wish ya went before I bet. Warm drinks in the lodge always make for a good day too.
Have FUN!