The European resort in 'renaissance' against the odds (and it's open until the end of April!)

'Just let go,' our ski instructor insists. But it is not easy to relax. To the left, a panorama of the Swiss Alps and a 1,500ft drop to the Rhône river. To the right, a school of children adeptly winding through cones as we learn to turn. The Londoner's instinct is to be tense, stand on the right and wait for it all to pass by.