Yrast isomers, multi-quasiparticle states and blocking in ¹⁷⁶Ta and ¹⁷⁷Ta

K^π = 20^- and 49 2^- yrast isomers have been discovered in ¹⁷⁶Ta and ¹⁷⁷Ta, with meanlives of 1.4 ms and 0. ms, respectively. The long meanlives arise from substantial K-hindrance in the ¹⁷⁶Ta case but from spin-trapping in the ¹⁷⁷Ta case. Quasiparticle calculations, which treat the Fermi and pairing energies self-consistently, reproduce the excitation energies of these isomers and the other multi-quasiparticle high-K states observed. Due to blocking, pairing is significantly reduced in the 3-quasiparticle states, the extent depending on the specific configurations. It is completely quenched for both protons and neutrons in the highest seniority states. Yrast traps of even higher spin are predicted to exist in ¹⁷⁶Ta and ¹⁷⁷Ta.