Gąsienica, who started for the SN PTT in Zakopane in 1907, celebrated his first major success by winning the national championship in 1962 in his native Zakopane . A few weeks earlier, he had already finished eighth in the ski jumping competition on the Beskydy Tour .
At the end of the 1960s, Gąsienica was not only one of the best Polish athletes, but was also able to attract attention on an international level. In 1967 he took third place in Reit im Winkl , before he could win there a year later. In addition, he won the 1968 combined competition of the Czech Marusarzówna Memorial in Zakopane. At the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble , he reached sixth place. A few weeks later he won the Tatra Cup competition in Štrbské Pleso .