Street Seen

On occasion, a clever name can bestow personality, even upon cement.

At an L.A. shopping mall sheltering both a sporting goods store and a Ralphs supermarket, an external wall has been fitted to train rock climbers (or “maladjusted geeks,” as Yvon Chouinard, the sport’s highly respected guru, calls them).

Most shoppers barely notice the robust danglers. They push food carts toward the parking lot within yards of the Sport Chalet’s climbing class at the Beverly Center.

However, it’s not the climbers or the shoppers endowing this cement wall with personality.

It’s the name given by climbers and watchers: Mt. Ralphs.