Despite his preconceptions, Jeremy Smith discovers that there's more to Austria than a certain film featuring Julie Andrews, some nuns and a load of Nazis: It was the last thing I expected and the one thing I needed most. But of all the places in all the world to deliver such a much needed shot-in-the-arm, I never expected it to be Austria.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef, America's Grand Canyon, the rainforests of Amazonia naturally I would have drooled at the adrenalin rush these destinations could guarantee me, but sleepy, safe-as-Julie-Andrews Austria? No way.

Still, that's precisely what happened, blowing away all my preconceptions of what an Austrian getaway might be like.

In truth, The Sound of Music has got a lot to answer for this much-loved (and hated, let's be honest here) movie has painted a chocolate box picture for millions of people of a country stuffed full of nuns, men in lederhosen, hats with long feathers and goat-herds.

Oh, and let's not forget the marmot a sort of continental groundhog that's as cute as hell and which can be found being sold purely toy versions obviously in almost every Austrian gift shop (I bought one and it yodels while swinging its hips).

Don't forget either that Mozart is Austria's favourite son and this year is the 250th anniversary of his birth, so do be warned you can buy everything from 'authentic' Mozart oven gloves to an 'authentic' Mozart widescreen TV (just like the one that Amadeus used to watch in Ye Olde Salzburg...).

I needed this trip because I'd just spent a few days in the Faroe Islands and wasn't exactly feeling on top of the world (although of course, they practically are). I had a few days extra left on my two weeks of summer leave, so I thought why not, what's the worst that can happen a Sound of Music coach tour maybe, or a restaurant serenade by two men slapping their's, or other people's, thighs?

Thankfully, neither materialised.

Instead and here was the surprise I dipped my toe into a whole smorgasbord of outdoor pursuits (note the deliberate blurring of Continental allusions here) such as white water rafting, windsurfing, skiing, mountain hiking and paragliding, but all within the classic Austrian amphitheatre of towering hills and glaciers.

My base was a chalet-style hotel, the Abendruh, in the picturesque little hamlet of Kaprun (EVERYTHING is picturesque in Austria), about a 45-minute drive out of Salzburg and nestling close to the not-so-tiny lakeside town of Zell am See.

For reasons I couldn't fathom (although clearly they were staring me in the face), this area is known as the Europa Sport Region, playing host to planeloads of avid skiers in the winter and coachloads of avid sports enthusiasts in the summer.

The perfect recipe, in fact, for year-round holidaying. My accommodation, the Abendruh, was large, welcoming and yet cosy too and, as you expect of these places, staffed by young, positively glowing twentysomethings, who've made the right decision and ditched the Rat Race in order to work to live instead.

The holiday was organised by Crystal, a leading UK specialist tour operator, and this particular little jaunt fell under their Active Mountain umbrella.

Which meant, of course, that I was committing myself to a daily regimen of hiking, riding, swimming and, most commonly of all, falling off. Indeed, I forget just how many times I fell off saddles, rafts, windsurfing boards and bar stools, although the bruises now form part of my Badge of Honour body tour.

All the above activities are within at most a 30-minute bus ride of the hotel. Day One kicked off with what I thought would a ho-hum, nothing-better-to-do than walk around the Kaprun Dam excursion (at least, that's how it was advertised).

Instead, what it should have said on the itinerary was: 'A tour of the region's Alpine reservoirs, including one of the most exhilarating ascents outside of a Disney theme park ride you'll ever experience'.

And trust me, I'm not exaggerating. The coach journey alone was worth the cost of the air fare over; snaking up the sheer drop mountainside road (actually, in places, 'track' might be a better description), we literally 'wormed' our way through a series of extraordinary tunnels.

With just inches to spare either side of the coach's chassis, one false move by the driver or one late night too many and I could have found myself writing this piece from beneath 200ft of Alpine rubble.

And the thrills didn't stop there. Halfway up, we stopped to catch a 'lift' (it's called a funicular) essentially a caged 'skip' that crawled up inclines as steep as 80 degrees while all the time remaining level.

Which meant that when I finally got to the dam itself, I wasn't too much interested in its history/construction, etc...instead, I just kept looking back down the route we'd come and wondering how the hell we'd done it.

Anyway, after an equally exhilarating descent (curiously, not so bad because you're familiar now with the idea of oblivion), we tucked into packed lunches prepared by our chalet groupies, and then set off for windsurfing.

Now in fairness, windsurfing isn't one of the usual activities for this particular holiday (it's actually part of their Active Beach programme) but frankly I'm at a loss to see why.

The lake at Zell am See is... well, what you'd expect it to be crystal clear, amazingly warm and perfect for posing beside or indulging in all manner of water sports.

It took me two hours to stand up straight on my windsurfing board (my instructor having long ago abandoned me), but when I did and the breeze caught my sail, I felt like Charlton Heston and Tom Cruise rolled into one (but thankfully without all the symbolism of Moses and Scientology to ruin things).

That night we ate out at a typical Austrian restaurant, the Guggenbichl www.guggenbichl.at overlooking Kaprun, which perhaps, not surprisingly, DID serve up traditional Austrian fare (vegetarianism and Austria clearly aren't the most natural of bed partners, so full marks for that). Pleasantly stylish, it's also pleasantly cheap, from just 22 euros per person.

It was the next day, however, that I glimpsed what true nirvana really is white water rafting. Organised by Adventure Service (www.adventureservice.at), I really don't think I can ever recall feeling quite so alive.

Our guide, Jonas Kryhl, a kind of long-haired Paul Newman for the extreme sport set, skilfully and very humorously I might add, although all at our expense helped us navigate the rapids of either the Rivers Salzach or Saalach (look, with that much water around, you don't really stop to ask little questions like that).

And I have to tell you, it is ADDICTIVE. Seven supposedly mature adults whooping and screaming so childishly and freely, especially when we sailed past of all things a bordello, right there on the edge of this foaming maelstrom (one of the women even waved back...) Throw in some skiing, paragliding (pleasant but not exhilarating) and a cracking mountain bike tour (there was a fierce electrical storm during this little jaunt), and my image of Austria had changed forever.

No more nuns, no more Do-Re-Mi, no more images of cakes and Alpine horns just chic, sexy people and a geography that sustains an A to Z of sports and pastimes. To quote a little-known song: "These are a few of my favourite things..."

Crystal offers active holidays including rafting, canyoning, hiking, climbing, paragliding, horseriding, sailing and windsurfing, to name just a few. For details see www.crystalholidays.co.uk or call 0870 166 4971