I know
@Greg Whitehouse and his team at California Ski Company put a lot of their eggs into this basket with many of their boots being WTR/GripWalk and AT. Let's see if we can get him to chime in.
Thanks Phil for asking me to jump in here. I feel it is an important subject and appreciate the complexity of the issue. Phil is right. We are early adopters and have decided to put a lot of our inventory dollars into "walkable sole" boots. The industry recognizes that walking in boots is problematic. It is clumsy and dangerous. Rockered soles are easier. Rubber on the sole helps. If you don't think it makes a big difference then I believe you probably have not tried the WTR or Gripeslk models. I am absolutely sure that I am personally at higher risk for injury in a parking lot, bathroom, or bar than I am on the ski slopes. Industry data shows that it is not just me. Walking in ski boots on slippery surfaces is dicey.
The manufacturers are not going to change this new direction. They make it understood that in five years or so there will probably be no flat DIN spec boots readily available on recreational boots. Their rhetoric is altruistic but they also know that they stand to make a lot of money if everyone that buys boots needs new bindings. Retailers understand that too so may be more inclined to say "yes to safety and comfort!".
The different approaches is currently our biggest issue as an industry. Multiple types of incompatable soles are not in our best interest as a skiing community. It can lead to unsafe situations. Touring, WTR, and Gripwalk are all out there and compatability is tricky.
Touring soles are not going to work well for non touring applications for a variety of reasons. What comes out of the Gripwalk vs WTR battle is the big question. Phil has a strong opinion backed up with valid points on this subject- as he always does in head to head comparisons. Maybe he will share those. I have already taken up too much page space. I have met with the top insurance companies, individuals that sit on the DIN board, the head of Ski Industries of America (SIA) and engineers from most binding companies on this subject. There is a LOT of information being batted around. Let me know if you have any other questions and I will answer them as well as I can.