Chase:
Here are a few pikkies from the 2005 Soelden World Cup GS start. They might help answer your question.
I was starter for about 50 or 60 World Cup races and at the World Alpine Chmps, so I've set up my fair share of start wands at the level of racing where the wands take max punishment. The best way I've found is to shim the start gate so that the wand dead-centers the opposite post, about 2-5 mil shy of actually touching it.
We haven't shattered any ALGE wands at World Cup in the past two seasons, but we have, for the most part, raced in fairly mild temps at the Austrian races. At Lake Louise (last week) the REALLY cold weather occurred after the men had left for Val d'Isere, and of course the women don't attack the wand as ferociously as the men.
Years ago, TAG Heuer had some very expensive wands made out of carbon fiber by a Formula One supplier, but they were too stiff. Big, aggressive guys like Lasse Kjus and Harald Christian Strand Neilsen were shattering them to bits - especially at Lake Louise in -30. So Campiche had some softer wands made with more fiberglass and less carbon, and they lasted quite well.
I don't really like the custom aluminum starting posts we're currently using for World Cup. Albert had them made in his machine shop at ALGE, and they look REALLY cool, but the custom start gate fits so tightly onto the post that you can't shim the gate. If the wand doesn't line up correctly with the opposing post, you have to dig up the post and rotate it a few degrees.
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