As a junior high school student, he climbed Yu Shan and Mount Dabajian, some of Taiwan's highest mountains.

[7] After completing the General Scholastic Ability Test in 2007, he and his schoolmate Huang Shao-Ting climbed Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America.

[9][10] In 2012, Chang and five of his friends participated in the Mongol Rally, driving a small car across 14 countries in Eurasia in 40 days, covering a total distance of 13,000 kilometers.

Due to heavy fog, they became trapped on the cliffs and were eventually being rescued by the National Airborne Service Corps.

[2][23][24] The accident occurred before Chang Yuan-chih had clipped his safety rope, during a "non-technical" point on the climb.