The intense decay of a five‐quasiparticle isomer in179W into the backbending region exposes for the first time a full set of S‐band states. A high value for the K‐quantum number is inferred from gamma‐ray branching ratios in the band‐crossing region, providing a basis for understanding the unusual decay of the isomer, as well as other highly K‐forbidden electromagnetic transitions in the A=180 region. The location of the full S‐band is discussed in connection with the superfluid‐to‐normal phase transition.