FLURRY OF INJURIES HITS MOUNTAIN RESORT.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer

Clear skies and heaps of snow brought Presidents Day madness to the Angeles National Forest's Big Pines area.

Dozens of people were injured in snow play and ski accidents, the result of big crowds and rock-hard snow - produced by rain freezing atop existing snowfall.

``It's a holiday, and there's lots of traffic and lots of people up here,'' said U.S. Forest Service Battalion Chief Bill Scribner. ``It was clear this morning. When the sun is out and you can see snow on the mountain, everybody wants to come to the snow.''

Injuries ranged from minor scrapes and bruises to someone who suffered a broken rib and a punctured lung. Several injured people had to be flown out by helicopter.

Holiday traffic jammed Big Pines Highway and Angeles Crest Highway, which intersect at the Mountain High ski resort. California Highway Patrol officers were sent to monitor the traffic, but there were no incidents more serious than a couple of fender benders, officials said.

``We want to make sure people park where they are supposed to park, and have a presence that maybe will have a tendency to slow people down,'' said CHP Sgt. Robert Hulbert. ``There's ice and snow. You can get too much speed if you're coming down the mountain.''

Emergency vehicles, sirens blaring, went by the Big Pines visitor center every couple minutes at one point Monday afternoon, a volunteer said.

``(The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department) helicopter just goes back and forth, whether it's back and neck injuries, broken ribs, head injuries,'' said David Burrows, president of the Wrightwood volunteer association that operates the visitors center. ``It's a variety because the snow is hard. It snowed, it rained and it froze. Everything is a rock.''

Scribner said there were quite a few minor injuries from snow play.

``There's a lot of people and use this weekend. The more people we get, the more injuries there are,'' he said.