A C182 PLT LNDG AT VGT LEFT THE RWY IN STRONG; GUSTY XWINDS; DAMAGING A RWY LIGHT.

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WHILE VISITING LAS VEGAS; A FRIEND AND I DECIDED TO TAKE A FLT TO SEE THE GRAND CANYON. I CHKED THE WX VIA ADDS; AND DON'T REMEMBER IT BEING ANYTHING SPECIAL. WE STOPPED BY A LCL FBO TO TALK ABOUT PROCESSES FOR FLYING IN THE CG AIRSPACE; AND HAVING THOSE NOTES IN HAND; TOOK OFF. WHEN WE TOOK OFF; THE ATIS WAS RPTING WINDS OF 160 DEGS AT 13 KTS (A XWIND OF 8 KTS FOR RWY 12).WE HAD A GREAT FLT AND RETURNED TO AN ATIS RPTED XWIND OF 220 DEGS AT 20 KTS (A XWIND OF 10 KTS; SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROB); BUT THE ACTUAL WINDS RPTED BY THE TWR WERE 180 DEGS AT 25 KTS GUSTING TO 35 KTS (FOR RWY 25; XWIND OF 24-32 KTS OR RWY 12; XWIND OF 21-30 KTS). I TRIED LNDG SEVERAL TIMES ON RWYS 12L; 12R; AND 25; EACH TIME I WOULD GET STABLE AND GET BLOWN OFF THE RWY CTRLINE AND I WENT AROUND. ON THE LAST TRY ON RWY 12R I WAS STABLE; ON CTRLINE (MOSTLY) AND HAD CORRECT CTL INPUTS IN. I TOUCHED DOWN WITH 1 WHEEL; PUT THE OTHER WHEEL DOWN; AND BEFORE GETTING THE NOSEWHEEL DOWN I WAS BLOWN IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. UPON EXITING THE RWY; I DECIDED THAT IT WAS SAFER TO TRY TO KEEP THE NOSEWHEEL OFF THE GND; AND SLOW TO A STOP WITHOUT BRAKES RATHER THAN EITHER TO STOMP ON THE BRAKES AND RISK A PROP STRIKE; OR TO TRY TO GO AROUND WITHOUT AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE GND AHEAD. I TOOK OUT THE GLASS PORTION OF A TXWY LIGHT; ALONG THE WAY; AND SCRATCHED THE ALUMINUM OF THE TRIM UNDER THE L LNDG GEAR LEG; BUT OTHERWISE HAD NO DAMAGE OR INJURIES. FACTORS: I WAS PROBABLY LOOKING MORE AT CLOUDS AND TSTMS THAN AT WIND WHEN CHKING THE WX: AT MY HOME ARPT; THESE KINDS OF XWINDS ARE RARE; AND I HAVE NOT HAD EXPERIENCE IN THEM BEFORE. AFTER TRYING FOR ABOUT 30-60 MINS OF GOING AROUND; I WAS PROBABLY TIRED AS WELL; AND COULD HAVE MADE SOME MISTAKES. I AM NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED THE ACTUAL RWY DIVERSION; IT COULD HAVE BEEN A GUST OF WIND; OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING THAT I DID.