Stevelmans joined the military shortly out of high school, and served a nine year tour of duty with the Dutch Marine Corps.  He participated in arctic warfare training in Scotland and Norway, and gained a proficiency for travel on skis.  Eventually, Frank became a military ski instructor in Norway.  He became a police officer in the Limburg-Zuid region (Politie Limburg-Zuid) upon leaving the Marines in 1991.

Of his desire for outdoor activities, he states, "Several times during the year, I get a strange feeling.  That's when I need to go out in the woods and take hiking trips." Frank often visits the Scottish Highlands for hiking and Norway for ski touring.

In recent years, Stevelmans has become increasingly attracted to climbing.  He has made regular trips over the past few years to climb in the Alps, and has completed formal instruction in basic and advanced mountaineering.  That is where he met Henk Bezema, who eventually invited Frank to join him on this Denali expedition.

Looking forward to Denali, Frank says, "the highest altitude I have reached is 4,100 meters (13,451 feet), so this is my first big one.  I am sure that there are more to come."  Stevelmans hopes to place a flag on the summit of Denali for a Dutch anti-cancer organization.