Excel & ticklist exporting

I was starting to play with the ticklist export function with the intention of building a graphic (bar-graph?) to show progression (or not!) over time with respect to grade (ie, axes would be date (x) and grade (y)). I was able to columnate the data and pare it down to the data in question, but ran into the problem of handling the YDS grading system.

Any tricks from excel/data folks out there on how to make the program recognize the ascending value of the YDS grades (eg, ...5.9- < 5.9 < 5.9+ < 5.10a ...)? I was considering assigning each grade-step to an integer and ordering them using that number, but is there a better way?

OR, is there a totally different way to make a graphic representation of the data that I am not thinking about?

Thanks

EDIT:

1. Import the pertinent data below into a tab/sheet in excel
2. Text-to-Column so that a data table with two columns (grade and numerical value) exist with grade in the left column
3. Name this tab something like "LookupTab"
4. Import personal ticklist into a new tab/sheet in excel; sort and separate climbing "types" (eg, boulder v free v aid v etc)
5. More text-to-column magic
6. Perform =Vlookup(...) function on ticklist grade to return numerical value from LookupTab dataset *I had to add tildes to plain-numbered YDS grades when I got the #n/a error (eg 5.9 became 5.9~)
6a. Use a pivot table to summarize and group data
7. Use charts with date column and numerical value columns selected.

Probably not the most graceful way of doing it, but it is interesting to be able to chart it out. Conditional formatting also makes it colorful.

Here's a list of our internal codes. Perhaps you can add that to excel and do some fanciness?

// rock ratings
800 => '3rd',
900 => '4th',
950 => 'Easy 5th',
1000 => '5.0',
1100 => '5.1',
1200 => '5.2',
1300 => '5.3',
1400 => '5.4',
1500 => '5.5',
1600 => '5.6',
1800 => '5.7',
1900 => '5.7+',
2000 => '5.8-',
2100 => '5.8',
2200 => '5.8+',
2300 => '5.9-',
2400 => '5.9',
2500 => '5.9+',
2600 => '5.10a',
2700 => '5.10-',
2800 => '5.10a/b',
2900 => '5.10b',
3000 => '5.10',
3100 => '5.10b/c',
3200 => '5.10c',
3300 => '5.10+',
3400 => '5.10c/d',
3500 => '5.10d',
4600 => '5.11a',
4700 => '5.11-',
4800 => '5.11a/b',
4900 => '5.11b',
5000 => '5.11',
5100 => '5.11b/c',
5200 => '5.11c',
5300 => '5.11+',
5400 => '5.11c/d',
5500 => '5.11d',
6600 => '5.12a',
6700 => '5.12-',
6800 => '5.12a/b',
6900 => '5.12b',
7000 => '5.12',
7100 => '5.12b/c',
7200 => '5.12c',
7300 => '5.12+',
7400 => '5.12c/d',
7500 => '5.12d',
8600 => '5.13a',
8700 => '5.13-',
8800 => '5.13a/b',
8900 => '5.13b',
9000 => '5.13',
9100 => '5.13b/c',
9200 => '5.13c',
9300 => '5.13+',
9400 => '5.13c/d',
9500 => '5.13d',
10500 => '5.14a',
10600 => '5.14-',
10700 => '5.14a/b',
10900 => '5.14b',
11100 => '5.14',
11150 => '5.14b/c',
11200 => '5.14c',
11300 => '5.14+',
11400 => '5.14c/d',
11500 => '5.14d',
11600 => '5.15a',
11700 => '5.15-',
11800 => '5.15a/b',
11900 => '5.15b',
12000 => '5.15',
12100 => '5.15+',
12200 => '5.15c/d',
12300 => '5.15d',
ROCKROUTE_RATING_UNKNOWN => '5.?',

// the boulders
20000 => 'V-easy', // for boulder problems rated 'V0-',
20008 => 'V0',
20010 => 'V0+',
20050 => 'V0-1',
20075 => 'V1-',
20100 => 'V1',
20110 => 'V1+',
20150 => 'V1-2',
20170 => 'V2-',
20200 => 'V2',
20210 => 'V2+',
20250 => 'V2-3',
20270 => 'V3-',
20300 => 'V3',
20310 => 'V3+',
20350 => 'V3-4',
20370 => 'V4-',
20400 => 'V4',
20410 => 'V4+',
20450 => 'V4-5',
20470 => 'V5-',
20500 => 'V5',
20510 => 'V5+',
20550 => 'V5-6',
20570 => 'V6-',
20600 => 'V6',
20610 => 'V6+',
20650 => 'V6-7',
20670 => 'V7-',
20700 => 'V7',
20710 => 'V7+',
20750 => 'V7-8',
20770 => 'V8-',
20800 => 'V8',
20810 => 'V8+',
20850 => 'V8-9',
20870 => 'V9-',
20900 => 'V9',
20910 => 'V9+',
20950 => 'V9-10',
20970 => 'V10-',
21000 => 'V10',
21010 => 'V10+',
21050 => 'V10-11',
21070 => 'V11-',
21100 => 'V11',
21110 => 'V11+',
21150 => 'V11-12',
21170 => 'V12-',
21200 => 'V12',
21210 => 'V12+',
21250 => 'V12-13',
21270 => 'V13-',
21300 => 'V13',
21310 => 'V13+',
21350 => 'V13-14',
21370 => 'V14-',
21400 => 'V14',
21410 => 'V14+',
21450 => 'V14-15',
21470 => 'V15-',
21500 => 'V15',
21510 => 'V15+',
21550 => 'V15-16',
21570 => 'V16-',
21600 => 'V16',
BOULDERROUTE_RATING_UNKNOWN => 'V?',

// the ice ratings
30000 => 'WI1',
30750 => 'WI2-',
31000 => 'WI2',
31250 => 'WI2+',
31500 => 'WI2-3',
31750 => 'WI3-',
32000 => 'WI3',
32250 => 'WI3+',
32500 => 'WI3-4',
32750 => 'WI4-',
33000 => 'WI4',
33250 => 'WI4+',
33500 => 'WI4-5',
33750 => 'WI5-',
34000 => 'WI5',
34250 => 'WI5+',
34500 => 'WI5-6',
34750 => 'WI6-',
35000 => 'WI6',
35250 => 'WI6+',
35500 => 'WI6-7',
35750 => 'WI7-',
36000 => 'WI7',
36250 => 'WI7+',
36500 => 'WI7-8',
36750 => 'WI8-',
37000 => 'WI8',
38000 => 'AI1',
38050 => 'AI1-2',
38100 => 'AI2',
38150 => 'AI2-3',
38200 => 'AI3',
38250 => 'AI3-4',
38300 => 'AI4',
38350 => 'AI4-5',
38400 => 'AI5',
38450 => 'AI5-6',
38500 => 'AI6',

ICEROUTE_RATING_UNKNOWN => 'WI/AI?',

50000 => 'M1',
50250 => 'M1+',
50500 => 'M1-2',
50750 => 'M2-',
51000 => 'M2',
51250 => 'M2+',
51500 => 'M2-3',
51750 => 'M3-',
52000 => 'M3',
52250 => 'M3+',
52500 => 'M3-4',
52750 => 'M4-',
53000 => 'M4',
53250 => 'M4+',
53500 => 'M4-5',
53750 => 'M5-',
54000 => 'M5',
54250 => 'M5+',
54500 => 'M5-6',
54750 => 'M6-',
55000 => 'M6',
55250 => 'M6+',
55500 => 'M6-7',
55750 => 'M7-',
56000 => 'M7',
56250 => 'M7+',
56500 => 'M7-8',
56750 => 'M8-',
57000 => 'M8',
57250 => 'M8+',
57500 => 'M8-9',
57750 => 'M9-',
58000 => 'M9',
58250 => 'M9+',
58500 => 'M9-10',
58750 => 'M10-',
59000 => 'M10',
59250 => 'M10+',
59500 => 'M10-11',
59750 => 'M11-',
60000 => 'M11',
60050 => 'M11+',
60900 => 'M12-',
61000 => 'M12',
61050 => 'M12+',
61900 => 'M13-',
62000 => 'M13',
62050 => 'M13+',

MIXEDROUTE_RATING_UNKNOWN => 'M?',
// A0 comes first (and A5+ comes last) so the entire set is bracked by A# ratings for searching
// Andy - I rearranged the first two so A and C alternate exactly - required for search
70000 => 'C0',
70010 => 'A0',
70250 => 'C0+',
70260 => 'A0+',
70500 => 'C0-1',
70510 => 'A0-1',
70750 => 'C1-',
70760 => 'A1-',
71000 => 'C1',
71010 => 'A1',
71250 => 'C1+',
71260 => 'A1+',
71500 => 'C1-2',
71510 => 'A1-2',
71750 => 'C2-',
71760 => 'A2-',
72000 => 'C2',
72010 => 'A2',
72250 => 'C2+',
72260 => 'A2+',
72500 => 'C2-3',
72510 => 'A2-3',
72750 => 'C3-',
72760 => 'A3-',
73000 => 'C3',
73010 => 'A3',
73250 => 'C3+',
73260 => 'A3+',
73500 => 'C3-4',
73510 => 'A3-4',
73750 => 'C4-',
73760 => 'A4-',
74000 => 'C4',
74010 => 'A4',
74250 => 'C4+',
74260 => 'A4+',
74500 => 'C4-5',
74510 => 'A4-5',
74750 => 'C5-',
74760 => 'A5-',
75000 => 'C5',
75010 => 'A5',
75250 => 'C5+',
75260 => 'A5+',
AIDROUTE_RATING_UNKNOWN => "A?",

// snow ratings
80000 => "Easy Snow",
81000 => "Mod. Snow",
82000 => "Steep Snow",
SNOWROUTE_RATING_UNKNOWN => "?"