K2
If one player loses both climbers, does the game end early and does the other player win?
The rulebook ends the game only on the 18th day, and the one designer ruling in the thread is relayed second-hand.
Not under the rules: the game runs to the end of day 18 even if one player has no climbers left, and the other player may resign if the result is obvious. A relayed reply says the designer ruled the opponent wins outright, but that is second-hand and the written rule does not say it.