In reply to MikeTS:
There used to be an annual International Festival of Mountaineering Literature at Bretton Hall, and Terry Gifford and Rosie Smith published an account of its first five years ("Orogenic Zones") (That's not what you think it says on a quick first scan of the spelling)
Although both book and Festival were an eclectic mix of non-fiction, perspectives, fiction and poetry, by some big names, it did include a fair bit of fiction.
The article that came to mind from that collection when you posted this was "Climbing Fiction - The State of the Art" by Audrey Salkeld and Rosie Smith, where they addressed the very question you pose. Here's a couple of extracts to give a flavour of their position:
"There is widespread subscription to the idea that 'most climbing fiction has failed....."
"The attitude we find hardest to swallow....is that climbing is somehow too SACRED to fictionalise.."
"...climbing fiction is frequently given short shrift by climbing reviewers.."
They proceed to give examples from a wide range of climbing-related fiction and offer a very positive view of the opportunities that climbing contexts give the fiction author. If you, or your friend, can get hold of a copy, probably only a used copy now, you might find something useful to help pitch things well. (ISBN 0 9524693 0 8 Published 1994, distributed by Cordee)
Its still a hard sell, especially to climbing readerships, but not half as hard a sell as climbing humour....don't take my word for it, just ask my therapist....