Way back in 1981 in some magazine, Rob Kelman published the following

Epic Rating Scale:

E1. Delay in completing route resulting in being an hour late for dinner
with your significant other.
E2. Same as E1 except that climbing partner is of opposite sex.
E3. Same as E1 except that bivouac is required.
E4. Same as E2 except that bivouac is required.
E5. Hung up on short route requiring rescue.
E6. Same as E5 except injury is involved.
E7. Same as E5 except route is isolated and elaborate rescue required.
E8. Same as E7 except that injury is involved.
E9. Some, but not all, members of the party are killed.
E10. Same as E8 except a major, dangerous effort is needed to rescue the
injured and recover bodies.
E11. All members of the party are killed.
E12. The entire party vanishes.


(I guess it’s clear that this scale was written with heterosexual climbers in mind, but it could easily be changed to a more general version. I shall not take this liberty with Mr Kelman’s original.)